


Resurrection

by Templarlady



Category: Southern Vampire Mysteries - Charlaine Harris, True Blood
Genre: Angst, F/M, Historical Fantasy, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Romance, Sexual Content, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-04
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-04 07:46:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 51,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/708268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Templarlady/pseuds/Templarlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the story told in The Milk of Paradise and The Devil You Know, told from a different point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I can recall every one of their faces, the men who murdered me, even after all this time. The faces of many of those that I had known and loved were gone now but theirs I would never forget, or forgive, even though they were long dead.

I remember, as clearly as if it were only yesterday, how they had ambushed me. Although they were only mortal there were too many of them and they attacked too fast. By the time I realised what was happening it was already too late. I had never even considered that such a thing could possibly come to pass! Was I not the mother of all vampires? The Queen of the demons of the night? I killed many of them I know, but it was not enough. I could not understand how they would even dare to attempt such a thing……and yet they did. 

It was clear that I was not the first. I could tell by their actions that they had killed others of my children before this. When they drove the wooden stake into my heart they evidently expected that it would destroy me instantly and when it did not they hesitated. In those few seconds I managed to kill another two of them but I knew that it was too late to save myself. As I weakened they drew knives and swords and cut my body into pieces, leaving what was left of me in a pool of blood beside the road. However this was to prove their undoing.

For some time afterwards I drifted in darkness amongst the stars, cursing myself for my foolishness in not anticipating that our human herd might find the courage to fight back. Then I felt something. A tugging sensation as though someone had set a hook in my flesh and was pulling on the line. Curious, I allowed myself to be drawn back to the world and looked down to see a number of my children clustered around the remains of my broken body. I watched as they collected as much of my blood as was left and divided it amongst them. They each then left that accursed spot heading in different directions and disappearing silently into the night.

I have no knowledge of the length of time, perhaps thousands of years, during which I drifted, unseeing, unknowing in the darkness. I could vaguely feel a connection to the blood which my children had collected but, as it was scattered in so many places no individual one had the power to call me. But gradually the numbers began to dwindle as my children were driven into hiding, until eventually only two remained and I found that the connection was strong enough for me to find the places where they were kept. One was held in a shrine in Byzantium and one in a shrine in the hills outside Thebes in Egypt. This much I discovered from the minds of the keepers.

You must understand that I did not truly grasp at the time what had happened to me. Over time I began to see that, although my body had been destroyed I, the essence of what I was, somehow continued. And I gradually came to the conclusion that this was due to the blood. I was connected to it somehow. So long as it continued to exist, then so would I, at least in this fashion. I found that my strongest connection was to the blood held at the shrine in Thebes and I assumed that this was because it was a greater amount than that held in Byzantium. I felt at home in the Theban shrine and became very fond of the vampire Mekure who created it. I discovered that I was able to visit him in dreams and speak with him, although at first he was reluctant to believe that what he dreamed was really true.

I began to spend more time at this shrine during the cold desert nights when Mekure and his followers were awake. Whilst they slept I drifted in seemingly empty space. Although I discovered that it was not, in fact, empty at all. I was aware that I was not alone. There were others here with me, other immortals who were no longer able, for whatever reason, to walk the earth in mortal form. Ancient Gods of ancient peoples who either no longer existed or, more often than not, no longer believed in them. However, they appeared unable to leave this place whilst I could return to the blood shrines at will. I wondered why this should be so and came to the same conclusion, that it was the blood which held me. While the blood still existed, and vampires still came to worship at the shrines so I would continue to exist. If it were to be lost then perhaps I would fade away as these others had done.

I had learned much from the minds of the keepers. I discovered that the story of my hideous murder had been kept alive amongst my children. Passed down through the generations from Maker to Child until, at some point in some place in the Middle East, men discovered how to record information on clay tablets and on stone and eventually on treated animal skin and papyrus. Then my story had finally been written down, together with everything which I had taught my children. As the centuries passed and people became more numerous so did vampires increase in numbers and the story spread around the world. I felt myself becoming stronger and more powerful as my children multiplied and visited the shrines to worship their Mother Goddess.

One night I felt a call from Mekure my keeper at Thebes and found him kneeling before the statue in the shrine. This statue was a magnificent creation carved from a deep red stone which my worshippers had arranged to be brought there from a quarry in Upper Egypt. It depicted me seated upon a marble throne holding between my hands the stone jar containing the sacred blood. It had come to be customary for images of me to show me covered with blood, this representing both my terrible death at the hands of the sons of Adam and also the sustenance required by my children.

I settled myself in the shrine and listened to the thoughts in his mind as he prayed to me. I was surprised to discover that he considered himself to be very old since he did not seem so to me, but then I was considerably older than any other creature I knew of other than he who had created me. Mekure wished to pass on the responsibility of Keeper of the Shrine to another. It appeared that he had someone in mind, a child of his whom he had chosen for the task. I made the effort of will required to appear as a vision in his mind and saw a smile appear on his lips as he perceived my presence.

“Who is this child my old friend?” I asked with a smile of my own.

“She is a noble lady, as is only fit and proper in your keeper, Mother” he answered. “A daughter of the Pharaoh, her name is Berenice.”

“Bring her to me that I may judge her” I said. “I will miss you my friend, promise me you will return to visit me?”

“Of course Mother!” he bowed his shaven head and backed out of the shrine.

Some few nights later he brought a young woman before me. She was small and dark haired with great dark eyes wearing a short, white linen shift. She was Berenice and she joined Mekure in tending the shrine. After she had served for some years I began to appear to her in visions and in dreams and soon I was as familiar with her as I had been with Mekure. Over time Mekure came less and less often to the shrine until eventually Berenice informed me that he had left Egypt and given the shrine over into her keeping.


	2. Chapter 2

I visited the other shrine at Byzantium frequently as well but when it was dismantled and moved to the New World I made the decision to remain in Egypt. The guardians of the Byzantium shrine consisted of a group of vampires who called themselves “The Authority”. I had always found it easier to influence, or to control a single keeper and the members of the Authority changed too frequently for my liking.

Berenice would occasionally bring visitors to the Theban shrine and I found it interesting to observe them although I very rarely made my presence known to them. After a while they all blended together in my mind except for one who stood out as very different. 

She came to me one night and asked if she might bring someone to the shrine. I was intrigued as she had never requested my permission before and I asked her why this was different. She explained that everyone who had visited the shrine before was from Egypt or from the East as the very existence of the shrine was not generally known outside of Egypt, but that this vampire was from the New World.

“Then how does he know of the shrine?” I asked. 

She bowed her head before me. “I told him of it Mother” she whispered. “I learned that he was working in the Valley of the Goddess, Meretseger, “She who Loves Silence” and I sent two of our children to fetch him to me. He had read the Testament but it was clear that he did not believe the truth of it. Did I do wrong in revealing the existence of the shrine?”

“Not at all my child. The shrine could only be endangered by many mortals becoming aware of its location at once. The few who find it are dealt with as befits our prey.”

I watched her for a moment. “What do you think of him my child?” I asked.

“I like him Mother” she answered, at once. “He is young but he is so different from anyone I have met before. But since he works with humans who dig for the tombs of the old kings, perhaps it would not be wise to bring him to the shrine?”

“Bring him child” I ordered. “He sounds interesting. I will search his mind and if he means to betray us to the sons of Adam then I will destroy him.”

I felt a surge of concern from her mind and wondered what this vampire could have done to make such an impression on her. She had always been completely dedicated to my service and had appeared quite uninterested in worldly things. I was even more determined to see him and make my own judgement.

A few nights later I felt Berenice approach the shrine and knew that she was not alone. I watched as she brought a strange vampire down the decorated corridor in the high cliffs towards the doors to the inner sanctum of my shrine. I didn’t need to look into her mind, I could tell simply by looking at her that she had lain with him and I found this surprising. Don’t misunderstand me, I do not expect my servants to be celibate! However Berenice was held in high esteem by all the vampires in the area as the Guardian of the Blood and consequently was held apart from them. They looked up to her as their priestess. She looked peaceful and relaxed and I was happy for her.

When he came out of the darkness of the corridor I could see why she would choose him. He was a well made man with dark brown hair and brilliant blue eyes like chips of sapphire. She opened the doors to the inner shrine and I saw the astonishment in those beautiful eyes as he beheld the statue and the jar containing the sacred blood for the first time. He turned back to Berenice and smiled and as he did so I felt an emotion that I had not felt in millennia. I felt that I would have given much to have him smile at me that way. I plucked his name from Berenice’s mind, William, William Compton. As I gazed at him I felt that he would somehow be important to me. Perhaps I was only thinking this because he was handsome and I was drawn to him? I smiled to myself. No, he would be important to me **because** I was drawn to him. I would make him important.

I felt gently for his mind and discovered that Berenice was correct. He did not truly believe in my existence although there was something there, some vague longing for something to believe, to have faith in. He had a kind and gentle nature but beneath that there was an iron will. He was a survivor who had suffered much both physically and mentally and because of this was far stronger than he appeared despite his relative youth. I also saw that, although he liked and cared for Berenice, he did not love her and considered himself merely a visitor here. He would return soon to the New World. There was something, someone calling to him, his Maker. I felt a chill as I touched that part of his mind where memories of her resided. He hated her, and yet he also pitied her as she loved him desperately but he did not, could not, love her in return.

I pulled back and watched him, wondering what kind of woman it would take to elicit love from this man. He was talking quietly with Berenice, explaining the many legends of dying and resurrected Gods, trying to persuade her that my legend was just one of many. Well, he would learn differently in time. As my children grew more numerous, so I grew stronger and I knew that, in time, I would have the strength to be reborn into the world. Then mortals would feel my anger! They would pay for what they had done to me, and my children would rule this earth as they were meant to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Another century had passed before I saw Berenice as animated again. She arrived one night looking positively flushed with excitement. I had felt this and was waiting for her in the shrine.

“I have news for you Mother!” she said breathlessly. “A messenger has arrived from Cairo, from those who call themselves “The Authority”. They plan to reveal our existence to mortals!”

I was silent for a moment. At last! I had known that this night would come as I had felt the anticipation from the minds of many of my children. I had visited The Authority’s headquarters in the New World and listened to their discussions to find out what they planned. I was aware that they had been attempting for some years to produce a synthetic blood on which they could feed. At first I had been outraged at the very idea but after some thought I decided that there were several possible outcomes if they succeeded. I was sure that mortals would be horrified at first and that many of my children might meet the true death. However, if this synthetic worked and enough vampires drank it then mortals might be lulled into a false sense of security, they would become accustomed to us. We might then use this acceptance to place vampires in positions of authority all over the world to await the coming resurrection of their Goddess.

However I was also sure that many of my children would not agree with this. Indeed they would be as disgusted as I had been at the very thought of it. These hard liners could be formed into a movement which would form the basis of my army. Vampires who would live in accordance with the old ways and await my coming.

I smiled at Berenice. “How do they intend to accomplish this my friend? And when?” 

“In two nights time Mother” she said. “They have agents placed within Television companies throughout the world and they will make the announcement at the same time, in so far as that is possible.” She gazed up at me, her eyes wide with astonishment. “You approve of this plan Mother?” she asked.

“If I did not I would not have permitted it to go ahead” I answered calmly. “They have perfected the production of the synthetic blood?”

“It would seem so” she whispered. “This…….this is part of your plan Mother?”

“Indeed!” I smiled slowly. “We shall have to see…….”

The days immediately after what came to be known as “The Great Revelation” were chaotic. The various peoples of the world reacted very differently to this new knowledge and many hundreds, perhaps thousands of my children died in murderous bloodbaths in several countries. However, it seemed that many more had anticipated the trouble and left for more liberal countries before the announcement. Nevertheless the loss of so many of my children pained me deeply and I spent many hours brooding angrily on the punishments I would inflict on the mortal populations in due time.

When things had settled down a little and mortals had had time to adjust to the new reality an unexpected benefit began to emerge. It appeared that there were numerous mortals who had imagined that vampires were merely the stuff of myths and legends but who, when they discovered the truth, actively wished to be turned! In addition to this many vampires who had previously been unable to support more than one or two offspring due to the necessity to remain in hiding suddenly found themselves able to “come out” and turn more. Within the first year after the Revelation the numbers of vampires increased almost exponentially, there was a population explosion! I could almost feel my power growing each night as the numbers of my children grew. Soon I would be able to put my plans into effect and I began to consider who I should choose and how I should go about it.

I took a considerable amount of time watching the members of the Authority and their self appointed monarchs in the New World but I failed to find any of them suitable for my purpose. It seemed that Berenice was to be my final choice. Once I had decided this another thought struck me. If I were to manifest myself in Berenice then why should I not take advantage of her acquaintance with that most beautiful man, William Compton? Ah yes! Now there was an idea. If I had to chose a consort then he would be my first choice! But where was he? Berenice had told me that he had left for the New World a century ago but he could be anywhere by now. I set myself the task of finding him.

It did not take me long. I had been drawn to him when he visited the shrine and I was drawn to him again. I found that I merely had to concentrate on my memory of him, the memory of those brilliant sapphire blue eyes and I saw him in my mind. I watched as he sat at the bar in a club, chatting to the barman and then walked back to the office to do some paperwork. I saw him sleeping in a secure room with a dark haired woman in his arms. One night I watched him unloading baggage from a car in the yard at the side of a large, stone built house by a river while two women helped him excitedly and then rushed off into the house. One was the dark haired mortal woman I had seen him with before and one was a vampire. I was puzzled by her as their relationship appeared to be that of Maker and Child but I could tell that she was considerably older than him. 

She had the form of a young woman with olive skin and dark eyes, her long black hair tied back in a plait. I observed their interaction curiously, trying to define their true relationship but, although he was obviously very fond of her he did not appear to have a sexual relationship with her and she treated him with love and respect.

When I noticed that he made regular trips to a house in Oxford to meet with two older vampires who I discovered were Charles Montague and Ulrich Von Schröder, I began to make my plans.


	4. Chapter 4

In the next year or so it gradually became clear that my doubts about what had become known as “Mainstreaming” were well founded. A group of vampires arose who called themselves “Sanguinistas”. Vampires who considered themselves to be fundamentalists, to live in the old ways, by the old rules. They dedicated themselved to Lilith the Mother Goddess and claimed that they lived by the Vampire Bible. These vampires were hunted by the Authority, who were doing their best to convince the mortal authorities that vampires were harmless, friendly creatures from whom humans had nothing to fear. Well some were, but many others certainly were not! There were groups of these Sanguinistas based all over the world but the one in which I was most interested was based at a large country house just outside London. The leaders of the group lived at the property which was owned by a vampire named Darius Ashman. He had interests in the middle east and visited Cairo frequently so I had arranged for Berenice to travel to Cairo to meet him and discuss her interaction with his group.

Berenice travelled with a guard of younger vampires from her congregation and it was immediately obvious that Ashman was impressed with her both personally and in her capacity as Guardian of the shrine. After several meetings, with judicious prompting from me, Berenice was able to persuade him that the time was right for him to issue an invitation to Berenice and her followers to join him in England, and to bring the sacred blood with her to facilitate the resurrection of the Goddess. I had shown Berenice a vision of Ashman's house, of the resurrection ceremony, and I had placed an image of William Compton beside her. Now I merely needed to arrange for him to be present. 

The members of the Authority in London were well aware of the activities of the Sanguinistas and, as I had anticipated. Ashman's success in aquiring the sacred blood made his group somewhat over-confident. Their actions had not only come to the attention of the Authority but also the mortal authorities who were putting pressure on their contacts in the Authority in London to do something about them. Von Schröder required information about what was going on in Ashman's house. He needed someone on the inside, and who better than someone who had known Berenice in Egypt? I gently planted the idea in his mind that he should ask William Compton for help. This would bring together all the players I required. The time of resurrection was now imminent.

Berenice had confidently informed Ashman and his friends of this and also that the arrival of her old friend William Compton would be the sign. Most of my time was now spent at the country house which Darius Ashman had placed at Berenice’s disposal and a few nights later I sensed something, someone approaching. I made the slight effort of will required to look outside the house and saw a sleek black car coming up the gravel driveway. It pulled up outside the front door underneath the overhanging porch roof and the door opened and William Compton got out. 

Evidently Von Schröder had succeeded in persuading him to assist the Authority. I smiled to myself. Now everything was ready, his arrival, the fulfillment of Berenice’s prophecy, would convince even those few of her followers who still doubted her connection to the Goddess. I followed him into the drawing room and watched as he pressed his ear to the door to listen to the conversation of Darius and Hayden. He had been sent in as a spy! I had to laugh, Von Schröder had played right into my hands. Whilst intending to bring down the Sanguinista movement he had unknowingly delivered my consort directly to me.

I stayed with Berenice now, watching as she walked into the drawing room and took William’s hands in hers. Watching as his brilliant sapphire eyes reflected his smile as he took her hands. After a moment she drew him after her and they walked down the corridor to the stairs. I saw Darius watching them from a doorway and Berenice waved a hand at him, gesturing to the door, indicating that he should have William’s bags brought in from the car. He didn’t look happy. On reflection I should have taken more notice of him but my attention was all on William.

I expected Berenice to take him to her room and was surprised when she headed in the opposite direction down the upstairs corridor. Curiously I listened to his thoughts and heard relief that Berenice had accepted his explanation for having another room. I could feel that he was fond of her but realized that there was someone else, someone that he cared for very deeply, so much so that he felt that lying with Berenice would be a betrayal. This was a mortal concept which I had some difficulty understanding, but I accepted that he was still young. It took time for my children to shake off the shackles of their human morality. I wondered briefly who this woman was. Perhaps the dark haired girl I had seen with him before? 

Berenice left him to settle into his room, saying that he must be hungry and she would arrange for someone to be sent up for him. I watched as he prowled around the room, examining the bed and the furnishings with apparent interest, although the pair of handcuffs set into the wall above the bed appeared to disgust him. As he was examining an adjoining room the door opened and one of Ashman’s guards appeared holding a naked and terrified girl. He tossed her to the floor and left, closing the door firmly behind him. I saw William look out from the adjoining room and watched him, curious to see what he would do. I had discovered that you could tell a lot about a vampire’s character by watching them feed. William came into the bedroom and walked slowly towards the girl, who had squeezed herself into the corner of the room and was pressed up against the wall staring at him with wide terrified eyes. She didn’t scream or try to run away, doubtless she was well aware of her fate and of the futility of trying to fight against it.

I watched as William squatted down on his heels before her, talking to her in a low comforting voice, reaching forward slowly to gently stroke her pale cheek, brushing the red curls back from her face. She began to relax as his glamour took her but she did not get the glassy, robotic look of the heavily glamoured, he had simply used a little of it to calm her.

Some vampires liked their prey to scream and struggle. It appeared to arouse them. Darius was one of these. Others preferred to glamour their prey into complete submission. William did neither of these things, he simply picked the girl up in his arms and carried her gently to the bed where he sat down, holding her in his lap. He spoke quietly to her for a while, stroking her gently, calming her as you would a nervous young horse. She stared up at him and, rather to my surprise, made no attempt to move away when he bent his head to her throat and sank his fangs into her flesh. He fed quickly and cleanly, taking only what he needed and just as he drew back from her the door opened and Berenice entered. I smiled as she chided him for leaving the girl alive and called for one of the guards to take her away. I had been correct in my original assessment of him, he was a gentle soul who clearly did not wish to hurt the girl or to cause her unnecessary suffering. He was still young enough to remember his mortal life and keep a measure of fellow feeling for mortals. He would grow out of this in time.


	5. Chapter 5

William’s eyes followed the girl as the guard dragged her out of the room but Berenice ignored them both and turned to William eagerly, telling him that there was to be a communion ceremony in the drawing room where they would taste a drop of the sacred blood. He looked a little doubtful but agreed to accompany her. Good! I was convinced that, like the others, once he tasted the blood he would be mine.

My blood was unlike that of any vampire, much more powerful and able to induce in vampires a similar state of euphoria as their blood induced in mortals. Some simply accepted the relaxed, drug induced state but the blood enabled others to see visions, even to appear to travel to other places. I was curious to see how William would be affected. When he and Berenice arrived the rest of her followers were already waiting and she introduced William. I watched their faces and saw a mixture of surprise and exultation that her prophecy had been correct, but also jealousy that he so obviously held a place in her affections. He knelt before her and she carefully placed a drop of the blood on his tongue. I allowed myself to slip gently into his mind as his eyes rolled back in his head and he slid to the floor and lay still.

To my delight it appeared that William was one of those on whom the blood worked surprising and enlightening effects. He appeared to be floating, and I floated with him. Some simply passively accepted the effects of the blood but William appeared to be one of the rare ones who was able to use it to his advantage. He was looking down, examining the countryside below us and then, suddenly, he began to move. After a while I realized that he was following the river. This was no effect of the blood! He was actively directing himself, fascinating! I moved with him, seeming to fly across the English countryside until we reached a house set in the bend in the river. I recognized the place immediately. It was the house where I had seen him and the two women unloading his car and I realized that he had been actively searching for this place. I had never before seen this level of control over the blood trance in any vampire. I wondered if he was aware of his influence over the trance, or if he were directing himself unconsciously.

Suddenly he vanished and I made another effort of will to follow him. He was standing in the hallway of the house looking over at a couch by the fireplace. Yes! It was the same woman. She was sitting on the couch, reading a book and was obviously unaware of our presence. This degree of manipulation was beyond anything I had seen before. I willed myself to appear to him inside his vision of the house and walked towards him. As I did so I was astonished to see the woman get up from the couch and turn towards us. She could not possibly see or hear us. We had not moved from Ashman’s drawing room, we were inside a vision in William’s mind and yet, somehow, she was aware of our presence. I barely had time to appreciate this thought when William woke up lying on the rug at Berenice’s feet.

I drew back observing him as he rose shakily to his feet, clearly stunned by the vision. There was power there, a strength that even he was unaware of. There was much that I could teach him. I paused, struck by a sudden thought as he and Berenice returned to his room. Why should I not take him as the vessel instead of Berenice? He was young certainly, but I could give him the physical strength and power he lacked. He was certainly more flexible in his outlook than Berenice and he had a strength of character that I was drawn to. In time he could become a partner to me. Not at first of course, I was vastly more powerful than he and I would always be in control. I began to consider the advantages.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following night all of my devoted followers were gathered for the ceremony. I had not bothered to divulge my change of plan to Berenice and she had arranged for two goblets to be placed before her, one containing the sacred blood which she had guarded faithfully for so many centuries, the other containing blood from one of the captive humans in the basement cells. She stood before the assembled vampires who watched her in awed silence.

The room was dim and silent, lit only by a few flickering candles. My children needed little light and the heavy velvet curtains were open allowing the pale moonlight to stream in through the large bay window.

Berenice stood beside William and spoke at length to her followers that night, extolling the virtues of our kind and of the new world to come, but I confess I was not listening to a word. I stood behind them, watching the faces of the assembled throng, feeling for their thoughts. Most were excited and curious, wondering what exactly was to happen tonight. Some were sceptical.....they would soon change their minds! Berenice was exultant at the thought that she would finally achieve the goal of her existence. William, however, was nervous. Berenice had told him that he was to be the consort of the Goddess and it was clear to me that he was unhappy with the idea. I smiled to myself, thinking that it was as well that I had not revealed to her my true plan! The gathering of vampires knelt before them and began to chant softly. To my delight I could see the power rising off them like a fine mist and flowing towards me, feel it soaking into me.

I watched as they picked up the goblets. The room seemed taut with anticipation and I could feel the power running through me as Berenice turned to William and drank from the goblet. She was unaware that I had influenced the young vampire who had set up the room to switch them, in fact even he was now oblivious to what he had done. I watched as she drained the goblet, her eyes closed, waiting…..

William watched her carefully, a trace of suspicion in his brilliant blue eyes, but when nothing appeared to happen he seemed to assume that it was safe to go ahead and raised the goblet of my blood to his lips. I saw the pale skin of his throat flex as he swallowed and then I was being pulled towards him. For a fraction of a second I resisted instinctively then I relaxed and closed my eyes. When I opened them again he was gone. For a moment I was confused until I realized that I was no longer standing behind him, I was looking out through his eyes!

I felt myself falling as William’s body collapsed onto its knees. The totally unexpected shock of my takeover had caused him to lose control completely. Suddenly I felt Berenice’s arm around me.

“William? What is it?” she whispered urgently.

I stared up at her, seeing her for the first time as others saw her. With an effort I raised my hand and watched as William’s hand rose and gently touched her face. I felt the cool softness of her skin beneath my fingers realizing with something of a shock that it was the first time I had physically touched another being for many thousands of years. I slid my hand around her neck, the sensation of her skin brushing against me almost overwhelming.

“Berenice?” I whispered back, pulling her face closer to me “it’s me, your Goddess….” 

We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment in silence. I watched as the emotions chased each other across her face. First surprise, then understanding, then disappointment.

“But……I thought……”

“Hush, not here, not now” I whispered. “You must help me, I need a moment to get control of this body.” 

I moved my hand to her shoulder and she helped me to rise and guided me to one of two throne-like chairs which had been placed on the slightly raised floor at the far end of the drawing room. I sank into it gratefully and she knelt beside me.

“But….what of William?” she asked.

I turned my head to her and felt William’s lips curl in a cold smile. “He is gone child” I said. “This body is mine now.”

The remainder of that night is only a vague memory. A blur of sound, colour and sensation. I remember Darius giving orders for some of the human prisoners to be brought up and as I caught their scent I discovered that I was ravenously hungry. I felt William’s fangs slide out as a young man was brought to the throne, his eyes glazed, and forced down onto his knees before me. I remember the sight of the vein pulsing in his throat and the sharp salty taste of his hot blood and then nothing……


	6. Chapter 6

I woke to see what looked like a rose. I stared at it and gradually realized that it was made of plaster, on the ceiling. I blinked and looked around me to find that I was lying on a wide bed with Berenice curled up in my arms. We were both naked and covered with blood. I blinked and concentrated, trying to recall what had happened the previous evening. I could remember only broken images, a pile of naked human bodies, a pale hand hanging down, a woman’s hand with a gold and diamond ring on one finger, blood dripping from her fingertips onto the elaborate Turkish rug where she had been thrown carelessly aside. A crowd of vampires, their bloodlust fired by the knowledge that their Goddess now lived among them, reaching out with bloody hands to touch me, tearing off William’s clothing and smearing his naked body with blood in some bizarre ritual demonstration of homage.

The atmosphere had rapidly become frenzied as my physical presence in the house had roused all the most basic instincts of my children, the heat and the scent of blood in the room overwhelming their senses. The few human prisoners Darius had in the basement cells were all killed and drained in an orgy of bloodletting.

Darius worried me a little. He appeared to be largely unaffected by my presence and seemed to hold himself apart from the general crowd. He had appeared suitably subservient and had readily agreed to send his guards out to hunt for a further supply of human livestock after dusk but still I wondered if he did, in fact, fully believe in the resurrection and resolved to check him out later. At the moment I was concerned only with my developing control over this new body. I swung my legs down from the bed and stood up, noticing with satisfaction that I was now in full control and able to manage a smooth movement.

I glanced over at the long mirror on the wall opposite the bed, smiling to myself. I had certainly chosen a magnificent specimen! I strolled over to the mirror to examine it more closely. The reflection in the mirror was about five feet ten inches tall with broad shoulders and the muscular chest, shoulders and arms of a man used to hard physical labour. I recalled that Berenice had told me William had been a farmer in life. There was a delicate fuzz of dark fur from the collarbones down the chest and running down the flat muscles of the stomach, thickening at the groin into a mass of curly dark hair. 

I stood with my head slightly on one side, contemplating the heavy piece of flesh protruding from the hair and hanging innocently between the strong, muscular thighs. It seemed quietly at rest now and quite normal although Berenice had certainly appeared to appreciate it to an excessive degree last night! As my mind wandered back over the events of the previous evening I felt it twitch and swell in response. So this was why males sometimes appeared to be ruled by this organ rather than by their common sense! Well that was not going to happen to me. I shook my head and turned back to the bed to see that Berenice had woken and was watching me.

“This seems so strange” she murmured quietly. “What should I call you? Mother seems hardly appropriate in the circumstances…..and yet I cannot bring myself to call you William.” 

She sat up clutching the sheet to her body and I saw that both it and her skin were stained with the blood which covered my flesh. 

“Don't worry about that now” I said climbing back onto the bed beside her and holding out my arms to her. “Come here child, I want you again.”

She smiled and as she leaned forward readily to kiss me I congratulated myself again on my decision. Berenice would not have been the best host for me and yet I loved her dearly and wished to reward her for her long years of service. I knew that she wanted William, so what better way to reward her than to take him and make her my consort? I pulled her into my arms, luxuriating in the feel of her flesh against mine. No doubt I would become accustomed to the touch of others before long but for now, I intended to indulge myself.

An hour or so later a vampire knocked tentatively on the door with a message from Darius. His guards had managed to round up more food and asked if we would like to come and choose a meal from the cells. I wasn't sure if it was the unaccustomed exercise or some side effect of the transfer but I was still hungry despite the fact that I had fed well the previous evening. So well, in fact, that it almost appeared that the blood was oozing out of my pores and staining my skin. However the incredible pleasure of feeding on a helpless mortal was so intense that I was quite happy to join Berenice in the cells and allow her to select a meal for me. The two girls she chose were dragged out of the cell and taken up to our room while Berenice and I discussed our next move with Darius and two of his most trusted friends. It appeared that my presence here had become known to the Authority.

“Then let them send a representative to speak with me” I said. “I will be happy to allow them to join our cause.”

Darius smiled. “Somehow, I don't think that's what they have in mind!” he said, “but we'll be ready for them.”

The remainder of the evening was spent in Berenice's bed, in an orgy of blood and sex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I woke at dusk the next evening I felt much steadier than I had before. It seemed that my initial savage bloodlust was easing a little and I was able to think of other things. I felt that my followers needed to see me, to know that I was here among them. The previous two nights had been spent almost exclusively indulging myself with Berenice. At my suggestion she pulled on her robe and went downstairs to see what was going on. She returned in a moment with the news that some human girls had been captured in the grounds.

“Excellent!” I said. “Tell the guards to bring them before me and I shall choose one for myself.”

When I walked into the drawing room Berenice was seated in one of the thrones and I seated myself alongside her and waited. A young female vampire approached me with a bowl and silently began to anoint my naked body with blood. Moments later the door opened and three vampires came in, each holding a terrified girl which they pushed down onto their knees before me.


	7. Chapter 7

"Only three?” said Berenice in a disapproving tone. “You'll need to do better than this!" She turned to me and asked “would you like one my Lord? For a toy?” 

I glanced down at the three girls and as my eyes passed over the one on the right hand side I felt something. Some sense of recognition. I saw her eyes turn away from me and I felt a sense of desolation sweep over me at the thought that she no longer wished to recognise me. With a shock I realised that it was he, William, who had recognised the girl. The guard jerked her upright and, now that I could see her face clearly, I saw that it was the woman from the house by the river. William's woman. I was surprised that he still had sufficient self awareness to make this known and wondered what would happen if I chose her. In a moment of pure curiosity I indicated the dark haired girl and the guard took a firmer hold on her. She panicked and began to struggle but she was no match for the vampire who held her in one hand and dragged her away.

I sat back and listened to Berenice as she spoke to the group of vampires who had assembled before us but my mind was on the girl. I was fascinated by the fact that William had somehow been able to make his feelings for her known to me and, after some consideration, I came to the conclusion that he and the girl must have had a blood bond. It was the only explanation that fit. This might prove to be very interesting indeed!

After Berenice had finished speaking we excused ourselves and I ordered one of the guards to bring the girl to William's old room. Somehow I felt that I would like to be alone with her. Berenice was a little put out by this decision but accepted my instructions without question and I left her and headed up the broad stairway to the second main bedroom.

Leaning against the wall I watched as the vampire guards hauled her into the room and threw her onto the bed. One climbed up and fastened one of her wrists to the handcuffs which were attached to the wall over the headboard. Then they bowed deeply to me and hurried out. I watched her for a moment. The few others who had been brought to me had wept and begged to be released but she did neither of these things. She merely lay there watching me. I walked over to the bed and knelt down beside it to examine her, intrigued by the fact that she seemed unafraid of me. Perhaps, I thought, she was simply frozen with fear, but when I looked into her eyes I could see that this was not the case. I leaned forward and as I did so I caught her scent. I stopped and sniffed at her. This was something new! I had never smelt anything as delicious before. I could almost taste the flavour of her blood but there was something more than this. Something I had never come across before.

“What are you?” I whispered.

Her eyes widened for a moment.

“Oh Bill.......you know all about me” she said quietly “you know me very well, at least…….you used to.”

So that was it! I was feeling his emotions as he watched her.

“You smell…….familiar.......delicious."

“Bill?” she whispered. “Do you know who I am?” 

I felt sure that he did. That he knew her very well but I said nothing, curious to see what she would do. She did something which surprised me, something which no other had done before. She reached out to touch me, or rather I supposed, to touch him. I was astonished. No human had voluntarily attempted to touch me before. She moved the unchained arm and gave a sharp cry of pain. I looked at her arm and saw that it was broken badly, the bones bent.

"They have hurt you! They will pay for that!" The words were out before I had time to think about them. This was not me! This was William's response not mine. Fascinated I pierced my thumb with the tip of a fang and watched for a moment as a bead of blood appeared. Then I smeared the drop of blood on her lips and sat back to observe her reaction. She licked her lips and stared up at me for a moment. Then the power of my blood hit her and she convulsed in agony as her frail human form tried to knit itself together at a speed that it could barely cope with. She uttered an agonised cry and then fell back onto the bed and lay still.

I watched her, trying to analyse my response. Part of me was simply an interested observer, noting the reaction of her body to my blood. But behind this I felt a vague sorrow at the sight of her pain. A powerful impulse to protect her and care for her which I knew was not mine. These were William's feelings bleeding through the wall I had built in his mind to block him out. Somehow the plight of this human girl was sufficient to rouse him to struggle against my dominance.

I reached over and pulled the shackles from the wall and tore the cuff from her wrist, curious to see what she would do. I assumed that she would try to run, but she simply stood up slowly.

“Thank you” she said.

I stood up and watched her as she walked slowly over to the doorway to the other room and looked inside. To my great surprise she then turned back and held out her hand to me.

I stood up and followed her, taking her hand in mine. It felt tiny and warm and I could feel her fragile bones beneath the soft flesh. She opened the door and drew me into a smaller room covered in small white shiny tiles. As I looked around, wondering what on earth this could be used for, she stepped over to an object attached to the wall and turned it. Immediately water began to pour down from a metal object set into the ceiling. She stepped under the water, pulling me with her. I paused for a moment, stretching out my hand to feel the warm water, then I followed her and stood under the gentle spray. I watched as she took a bottle from a shelf and squeezed something into her hands, then she began rubbing it over his chest…..my chest! Damn it, what was happening to me? I could feel William’s consciousness expanding as she carefully washed his body….my body!

I pulled myself together and looked down at her as she knelt at my feet, she glanced up at me and I saw that she was afraid. I was surprised to see this as she had not behaved in the way I would have expected. She was evidently afraid of what William had become and yet she did not try to leave, she would not abandon him to me. I recalled wondering what kind of woman he could love…… it seemed that I finally had my answer.

As I pondered his character I could feel the girl’s hands cleaning off the dried blood. The soft warmth of her skin on mine was so completely different from that of Berenice that I stood, entranced, giving myself up totally to this new sensation. As her small hand crept gently up my thigh and began to soap the rapidly hardening shaft I felt a sudden urge to know what a human woman felt like. What it would be like to make love to her. I swept her up in my arms and carried her back to the bed. I laid her down and stopped for a moment, looking down at her. I had thought that she might panic and struggle but instead she did something completely unexpected. She reached up, put her hands on either side of my face and kissed me. Or rather, I suppose, she kissed William, for it was the deep passionate kiss of a lover. 

The touch of her soft lips against mine seemed to flick some kind of switch and William's body reacted instinctively, fangs fully down I slid myself into her warmth and bit down into her throat at the same time.

Immediately I discovered at least one reason why William was so drawn to her. Her blood was the most delicious that I had ever tasted......


	8. Chapter 8

I knew that my body was lying on the bed beside the girl, Alex. Where had that name come from? I knew that her name was Alex…... However my mind felt that it was floating and I knew that I was no longer alone. I could feel him with me, William. I could see flashes of memories, his memories. I began to concentrate on them and saw that, unsurprisingly in the circumstances, they were of women. First this woman, Alex. Memories of him lying with her, laughing with her, making love with her. Behind that was another woman, this time with bright blonde hair. As I searched deeper I found others, both human and vampire and then, far back a dark haired mortal woman and William, also mortal. She was surrounded by other memories, memories of his family and his children and memories of other men all in uniform. I felt conflicting feelings, pride, loyalty, friendship but also fear and great sorrow. As I considered this, puzzled by the strange mixture of emotions I felt myself drawn to a place in William’s memories. A house.

I could sense his consciousness stirring and decided that it was time we talked. He had been stunned by the trauma of my entry into his body and his mind but now he was clearly becoming stronger and I knew somehow that it was connected to the girl’s blood. Delicious though it had been I wondered briefly if it had been a mistake to taste her. I reached out and took the house from his memories placing an image of him in the swing on the porch and directed his mind into the image. I concentrated for a moment and suddenly I was standing in the shadows of the porch, watching him wake.

I gave him a few moments to recover from the surprise and then I walked out of the shadows and confronted him. He was a brave man and recovered quickly from the shock of my appearance. Intelligent too, he quickly grasped what had happened to him and began to argue his case. I was pleased with his courage and self confidence as these were qualities I had been looking for in a host, however he was growing in confidence faster than I had expected. Much faster. I could feel the girl’s blood permeating his body and I realised with alarm that it was this that was helping him to resist me. Wait….his body? I was thinking of it as his body! I was losing control!

Just as I thought this I felt something stirring in the blood. She was waking. To my absolute horror William took control from me and opened his eyes to look down at her.


	9. Chapter 9

Looking back now I realise that I had underestimated her seriously. I had thought at first that she was just another silly girl who had strayed into the grounds and been captured by Darius's guards. When I recognised who she was I thought she was simply foolish for coming here in the hope of finding William. The truth would never have occurred to me, but I know now that she was well aware of what had happened to William. She knew about me and she still came......she risked her life to try and help him.

I struggled against it but I had to admit that I could never have imagined that a mortal would do such a thing.

That first night we fought bitterly for control but once William had broken free of my dominance I had no real chance. I was much the stronger but the body was his, had been so for a century and a half and he knew it and was able to control it far better than I.

The girl, Alex had been severely weakened by the blood I had taken but she was so relieved to know that her “Bill” was back that she didn't seem to care. She was obviously afraid at first when she realised that she was too weak to move but William calmed her and she readily accepted his apologies and his assurances that she would recover. They lay in each other's arms talking quietly discussing the events of the last few nights. William tried to explain what had happened to him but it was clear that he had very few memories of the first few nights and those that he did recall horrified him. He was ashamed of what I had done with his body.

I was interested to hear his opinion of me. He considered me to be powerful, strong, but angry, full of hate and bitterness. He told her that I had been destroyed by humans and was consumed by a desire for revenge. For a moment I was quite impressed with his insight! He understood what I wanted from him. That my plans were to place my children in a position of power over humans, to rule this world, but he was sure that this was not possible. This puzzled me.... He had argued this point with me earlier but I had thought him merely foolish and cowardly. Thinking it over I had to admit that I was wrong, he was no coward and clearly his doubts were genuine. He truly believed that my plans would bring destruction to us all.

Rather to my surprise Alex appeared to have come to the conclusion that what had happened to him might have been the better option. William seemed just as surprised at this turn of events as I was.

“Think about this Bill” she said. “This is why she chose you and not Berenice. Because Berenice is older and stronger, she thought you would be easier to manipulate. If she had chosen someone else, someone weaker, someone that she could control completely, what would she do? From what you’ve just said it sounds as if she wants to start a war. A war you know vampires could never win! Yes, she could cause chaos and unimaginable pain and terror but in the end.....you said it yourself, you would be wiped out.”

Hmmm........she was clever! She was quite correct in her assessment of my motives and her conclusion was the same as his. I wondered if she believed this herself or if she was simply repeating what William had told her.

They lay back against the pillows talking quietly while I fumed to myself and began to plan my next move. I was sure that if I could manipulate him into losing control for any reason, then I would be able to recover my previous ascendancy and so I remained silent and observed as Alex relaxed into his arms.

He began to caress her skin gently, pulling her back so that she lay on her side, tucked into the curve of his arm. As he did so I could feel the stress drifting away from him and his mind began to relax in the same manner as his body. Well, most of it anyway! I was aware of her warm soft flesh pressing against him, feeling his long fingers sliding into her, hearing her faint sigh of pleasure as he lifted her thigh and slid himself inside the warm, wet, channel. He paused for a moment simply holding her body against his, then he began to move his hips, gently building up a slow, smooth rhythm, nuzzling at her hair and planting light kisses along her neck until she began to shudder in his arms and I felt him release himself into her.

I waited quietly until she had fallen into a peaceful sleep in his arms.

 _“Well that was interesting”_ I murmured quietly. 

_“Yes, I quite enjoyed it too”_ he replied softly. 

_“But I have to say that I preferred our previous encounter. It was not as gentle, but more.........satisfying.”_

There was no response to this statement.

_“Admit it William, you feel the same. You preferred the rougher, more violent sex, didn't you?”_

More silence...... _“What if I did? What does it matter to you?”_ he muttered crossly.

 _“Then why did you not take her that way again?”_ I asked in a reasonable tone. _“If you enjoyed it?”_

 _“Because it was not what she wanted”_ his fingers moved seemingly of their own accord to gently stroke her hair _“she's tired, frightened, weakened by loss of blood, she needs to rest.”_

_“But you are so much the stronger William, why should you worry about her feelings? She is hardly in a position to stop you is she? She is just a mortal and easily replaced. There are many out there who would be happy to take her place in your bed. ”_

He was silent again.

 _“You wanted to, didn't you?”_ I asked, my voice lower, softer, more persuasive. _“You wanted to fuck her harder.”_

I felt him tense at my words. _“It's the truth William and you know it as well as I do. We are vampires! This is the way it should be. The strong rule and the weak serve us. This is the way our world works, you must know this!”_

 _“Yes, I know."_ His voice sounded cold and bleak. _"When I was first turned I was horrified at what had happened to me. I struggled against my nature until eventually I began to accept that everything I was, everything I knew, was gone. Then I became the creature that my maker wanted. I lived in your world Lilith, a world where the strong dominate and overpower the weak. I hunted humans for food and took what I needed from them without thought of retribution or consequences.”_

 _“You became a vampire”_ I said patiently. _“This is what you are William.”_

 _“No!”_ he snapped back angrily. _“That is not what I am! I forgot myself and lost my humanity for a while but gradually I began to realise that what I was doing was wrong......not only wrong, but unnecessary. There was something in me that knew this all along, Alex......”_ his anger faded as he spoke of her. _“Alex says that it was my soul. Don't misunderstand me, the monster is still there, beneath the surface, she knows this, she's seen it.”_

 _“And that is why you do this?”_ I asked sarcastically _“because you love her?”_

He was silent for a moment and I felt him give a little sigh. _“No, because she loves me! Because she trusts me. She's not a fool, she knows what I am and she accepts it, but I don't.....I can't. I was a good man once, a husband, a father and I can remember what that was like. As long as I can still remember him, that good man that I once was, I will strive to be like him. To be good enough for her. I know that there may come a time when I can no longer remember him but I hope that by that time Alex will be long gone and she will never know what has become of the man she once loved.....”_


	10. Chapter 10

William lay in a stubborn silence, holding Alex tightly in his arms until the dawn came.

Later.....much later, I felt him stir and sniff at the air. “You got your breakfast then?” he murmured.

For a moment I was puzzled as to what he could mean, then I realised that he had spoken aloud to the girl who was sitting up beside him. She answered him and he began to relax back into sleep. 

Then suddenly he stiffened and opened his eyes again. Alex was asking him about the two blondes I had chosen for us and.......yes! He was embarrassed! I listened in astonishment as he answered her guiltily and defensively, trying vainly to excuse my actions and then finally rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. He was truly mortified by what I had done! He quite obviously felt that Alex was justified in becoming angry with him despite the fact that he had not been able to do anything to stop me at the time. I was puzzled by his reaction for more than one reason. Firstly I still could not really accept that her opinion should matter to him at all, he was her master wasn't he? She should just accept his actions and consider herself fortunate that he did not punish her for her presumption in daring to question him! Secondly, it truly had not been his fault!

He had tried to explain to me that he cared for her, loved her even, but I had not really taken it seriously. She was merely a mortal after all. But somehow this strange reaction, his shame and the humiliation he clearly felt now that she knew what he had done made me think again. 

Alex put down her coffee and leaned against him, her arm around his shoulders. “It’s okay, you’re right, I saw what had happened to you, what she had done to you…..” she snuggled up against him “Never mind that now” she said. “You need to rest, you’ll get the bleeds.” As she comforted him I could feel his agitation fading and he turned to her kissing her forehead gently.

"So, what do we do now? Do you think that Berenice and her followers will still accept you as the incarnation of the Goddess, or whatever it is they think you are?" she asked.

This was a good question and one which had been troubling me as well. If he continued to hold me back as he had been doing I seriously doubted whether Berenice and her followers.......wait a minute! My followers........ good grief, I was beginning to think like him! The point was, she was right but William did not seem to understand her reasoning.

"Why wouldn't they" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Well....." she turned to look at him. "You sure don't look like you did last night!"

William pushed the sheet back and looked down at himself. "Well, I'm clean. That's good right?" 

"That’s not what they expect though is it?" she pointed out reasonably.

William looked thoughtful for a moment and then lay back and closed his eyes.

_“Lilith? Can you hear me?”_

The temptation to ignore him was almost overwhelming. I hated the thought that he was summoning me like a servant, but this might just be my chance.

_“I hear you!”_

_“Do you understand my problem?”_

_“Do you really expect me to help you?”_

I felt him chuckle to himself.

_“No indeed! I would not expect that. But I would expect you to help yourself. You know that Darius and his followers disliked me from the moment they realised what Berenice had planned. What do you think they will do if they believe that something has gone wrong......that you no longer live in me?”_

_“Give me control William......trust me, they will not doubt you!”_

He smiled.

_“Oh I'm sure they wouldn't! But I don't think that wholesale slaughter is necessarily a good plan.”_

_“It's always worked for me!”_

_“I was thinking of something less destructive but perhaps, equally shocking.....”_

A few moments later he opened his eyes and sat up, turning to Alex who was sitting, staring at the apparition before her.

"What do you think?" he asked. "Is that more........believable?"

"Oh yeah! That's........... how did you do that?" she asked.

"I didn't do it" he said, examining his hands. "She did it."

I smiled to myself, it had not been too difficult in truth. I had simply made a tiny drop of blood leak into every cell in William's skin so that it appeared the colour of blood. I had to admit that it was a startling transformation. As a vampire it would not harm him and would fade in time, although I had shown him how to dispel the colour himself. He was a fast learner and was surprisingly adept in his use of my power, although the effort had obviously tired him. He smiled at Alex and slipped back into sleep.

When he woke Alex was no longer beside him, but when he turned his head I saw her coming towards us rubbing at her long dark hair with something. She was naked and her skin looked pink and flushed. I felt a surge of arousal which I could have been his or mine, I was no longer sure.

“Er....Bill” she asked tentatively. “You can change that skin colour back can’t you?”

He laughed. “Why........don’t you like it?”

“Well........no!” she said. “It’s just not you, is it?”

“Yes. I can change it back. But I’m definitely still me! Honestly. Why don’t you come over here and find out?” he asked reaching for her hands.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap. I relaxed as she touched him gently, tentatively at first, closing her eyes to block out the alarming sight of his blood red flesh. Soon her knees were resting on either side of his hips and her warm soft lips were on his, nuzzling at his mouth, exploring with her soft tongue. Almost before I realised it he had pulled her down, impaling her on his stiff shaft and lifting her up and down in a rhythm which became faster and faster until she cried out and began to shudder in his arms in a delicious climax which made her internal muscles clutch and squeeze at him, milking him until I slipped away into a satisfied daze.

When I came to we were heading down towards the basement cells.

_“Hmmmm.......one human girl not enough for you?” I murmured._

_“On the contrary, she's more than enough......we intend to release the prisoners.”_

For a moment I was convinced that I had misheard him.

_“What?”_

_“I'm sure you heard me.”_

_“Why on earth would you do such a thing? You said yourself that Darius and his friends were likely to cause trouble for you. This is hardly going to gain his approval now is it? Why did we just go to the trouble to change your appearance if you're going to behave like a mainstreamer!”_

_“That was before I understood what was happening in The Authority.”_

_“What have they got to do with this?”_

He sighed and kicked open the door leading down to the cells, gesturing to Alex to preceed him.

 _“They have to work with the human authorities”_ he explained patiently. _“And those authorities are putting pressure on them to deal with your little group of followers here. They want to fire the place and burn out the nest!”_

I was astounded. _“They.......they wouldn't dare!”_

_“Certainly they would, why not? It would make them look good to the mortal authorities and at the same time, rid themselves of a troublesome group who don't agree with their agenda.”_

_“I am their Goddess! How could they even consider such sacrilege!”_

_“But they don't know that yet do they?”_

_“Then we must leave, immediately!”_

He ignored me and I lashed out, driving a spike of pain into his head. He gasped and put out a hand to steady himself against the wall.

 _“We can't just leave!”_ he hissed. _“There are innocent people locked in the cells. Besides, what about your followers, what about Berenice?”_

_“They're expendable, I have many followers. You, on the other hand are valuable to me!”_

_“I'm touched, really I am, but I have a better idea. We must negotiate with them. Vampires and humans alike must learn to deal with the Goddess! But, as Alex has just pointed out to me, if they find a group of naked people locked in cells in the basement they're not going to be in the mood to talk with us now are they?"_

By this time we had reached the bottom of the stairs and at the sight of William every single human in the cells shrank back against the walls in a horrified silence. He retreated back into the shadows, leaving Alex to talk to the mortals in the cells. 

As she was speaking to them the door opened and the two guards came in. They stared at her in astonishment. "Well I'll be........" the first guard grinned at her. "I've no idea how you got loose, but you are going to pay for this!"

"Oh, I don't think so" she said with a smile. "Now open up these cells right now or you'll be in big trouble!"

He laughed. "Are you crazy? You can't possibly imagine I'd be scared of you!"

She smiled at him again. "Oh no.....I'm not a very scary person at all." His expression changed when William stepped out of the shadows. "But my friend here? Well he's a really scary guy!" She turned to William. "He's the one who broke my arm by the way!"

I could feel the anger prickling over William's crimson skin at the thought of what this vampire had done to his lover but he controlled it and merely said politely, “Open the cells please.”

The guard refused and I felt William deliberately block me as I prepared to destroy him. “Very well.” he said. “I'll do it myself." He closed his eyes for a moment and reached into his mind. To my surprise he seemed to simply draw on my power, there was a bang and all four locks burst at the same time.

I admit I was shocked. _“How did you do that?”_ I asked. _“I didn't teach you that!”_

_“I simply used the power to move the metal of the locks in the same way that you moved the blood into my skin.”_

I remained silent, considering this slightly worrying development as William opened the doors and cast a glamour over the humans in the cells. He seemed able to draw on my power for this too. I could not decide if I was pleased that he had proved to be worthy of me, or concerned that I did not appear to be able to control him.

When I brought my attention back to William he was inside the cell kneeling on the floor before a girl I recognised as the little redhead Berenice had arranged to have brought to his room. He was asking for her forgiveness! Oh please! This was not the way vampire Gods behaved! I could not be bothered to argue with him at this point and so I just waited. Sooner or later he would make a mistake, and I would be ready.


	11. Chapter 11

William’s next challenge was to be convincing Berenice of his new status. He and Alex headed back upstairs to the room Berenice and I had shared for the last few nights. I smiled to myself as it became obvious that Alex was well aware of what had happened between us and wasn’t at all happy about it. I observed their interaction carefully hoping that, if she angered him sufficiently, he might just lose his temper and his loss of control might provide me with the opportunity I was waiting for.

Rather to my annoyance William showed a remarkable tolerance and understanding. Holding her in his arms he comforted her and reassured her of his love, thus managing to elicit a similar tolerance and understanding from her. I had just about given up on him in disgust when my attention was caught by a mention of his trip to the Mill House while in the blood trance. 

He kissed her gently. “I know it must be hard for you, especially after all you’ve done for me and knowing that Berenice is an old friend only makes it worse. But I love you Alex.” He paused for a moment. “You remember I told you what had happened when I first tasted the blood. You said that you felt me that night, at the Mill House? Well, when Berenice gave me the blood she said that it would take me to my heart’s desire. She assumed this meant that I would see Lilith but she was not quite right. I did see the Goddess, but first the blood took me straight to you.” He kissed her again. “You are my heart’s desire Alex.”

So I had been right! She had somehow been aware of our presence. I had recognized by now that they had a blood bond but this was more than that……much more. I had to consider this carefully.

When we entered Berenice was sitting at a dressing table brushing her long black hair. She turned and glanced over her shoulder when she heard the door open. She was, understandably, horrified to discover that her Goddess had been supplanted by a vampire a mere century and a half old. She was outraged at his declaration that he had no intention of giving over his body to me and told him firmly that he should be honoured to do so. I began to feel a little better and wondered why on earth I had not stayed with my initial plan to take Berenice in the first place! 

William began to explain to her his changed plans. 

“I’m going to need your help to convince the others, to get them to change their thinking. They are your followers. They will listen to you.”

“What do you mean, change their thinking?” she asked looking confused.

William began to look a little uncomfortable at this point but he carried on, his tone firm and uncompromising. “I have released the humans from the cells. We cannot continue to prey on humans the way we have in the past, not now that they know of our existence. We have to modify our behaviour and embrace mainstreaming from now on. It’s the only way forward.”

“You’ve done what?” Berenice was clearly horrified. She staggered back and sat down on the edge of the bed “But William, this is not what she asked of us. This is not what she wanted!”

“No,” he said, “it is not. I do understand what she wanted Berenice. But she lives in me now. Her plans for us would have brought us all to destruction. Surely you can see that. You cannot imagine that humans would allow us to take over without a fight! She was living in the past. Thousands of years in the past in fact. In her time humans lived in terror of the night. They lit fires and chanted spells to hold back the darkness. But that time is long gone. Adam's children have grown up. They have made so many advances since her time, yours too. To attempt to bring about her new world would only cause unimaginable horror and pain and in the end we would lose! We would all be wiped out. She is our mother Berenice. Do you think that is what she wants for her children?”

He paused and took her hands in his.

“She understands now why this would never have worked.”

_“I most certainly do not!”_

_“Quiet!”_

“She knows this because I know it and I cannot lie to her. She had no idea what had happened in the outside world because you did not really understand it either. You were so isolated you were unable to give her the information she needed.”

Suddenly Berenice’s face fell and she looked completely devastated. “Are you saying that.........that I have failed her?” she asked in a small voice.

“No!.....no of course not!” William brought her hands to his lips and kissed them gently. “For two thousand years you cared for her and protected her. You had no life of your own. She appreciates that, really. But she needs to know what’s happening now, out there in the real world. I can give her that knowledge.”

“She no longer needs me?” she asked. 

She was clearly upset and embarrassed at the thought that I had not considered her worthy and, rather to my surprise, appeared devastated at the idea that, now that William was able to advise me, I did not require her and that he did not intend to take her with him as his consort. 

I simply could not understand why she was so upset about this.

 _“Don’t be so insensitive!”_ William hissed at me.

_“But she is free now! She can do whatever she wishes.”_

_“Lilith, I know that you consider us to be expendable once we have served your purpose but please try to understand this. She was created to serve you. Her goal was to be the vessel for the Goddess. That was her sole purpose, it is all she has ever done….now she thinks that you don’t need her any more and naturally she’s upset. The reason for her whole existence has suddenly been taken away from her!”_

He looked down at Berenice and his voice was harsh and determined.

_“You know you need me Lilith and I will help you, I promise, but you have to meet me halfway. She loves you. She doesn’t deserve to be abandoned like this. You are her mother Goddess, she has served you all her life and you will damn well comfort her whether you like it or not!”_

He knelt before her and placed his hands on either side of her face. I found myself looking out into her familiar brown eyes, slightly pink with tears. I felt William’s consciousness push at me and suddenly I could feel her pain and distress, sense the empty place in her heart where I had lived for centuries. I felt a sudden surge of love for her. How could I have forgotten her long years of patient service so easily?

“Oh Berenice my dear child, please forgive me. I never meant to hurt you, I never gave a moment’s thought to your feelings and I am truly sorry.”

I could feel the distress ebbing away as she heard my voice in her head.

William released her and she reached up and took his hands. 

“I felt her, William!” she whispered. “She spoke to me.” She gazed up at him in awe. “She really does live in you!”

“Yes” answered Bill. “She does. But, as I said, I’m going to need your help convincing the others that she does. This...” he gestured at his body, “this is an outward sign of the Goddess, but what I have to say to them isn’t going to go down too well!”

She looked surprised at this. “They will do as Lilith commands!” she said firmly.

Now that was more like it! She had a serene confidence in my power which was very comforting after William's arguments.

He smiled and sat down on the bed beside her. “I wish I had your confidence” he said. “But somehow I don’t think that everyone here is quite as dedicated to the Goddess as you are my dear. Perhaps I’m just being cynical but I have a suspicion that some have attached themselves to your movement simply because they like the idea of causing trouble for the Authority and killing humans. They are using the worship of Lilith as an excuse to behave like animals. Dangerous animals.”

This was a new idea. I had assumed that I was using them, it had never crossed my mind that they might be using me! I considered this idea while William explained to her how Ulrich Von Schröder had visited Alex and told her that the Authority was being pressured to take action against us. That he had asked him to come here for talks and to bring his colleagues from the Ministry of Defence with him. “They will be here in a few hours.”

“Darius is never going to agree to this” said Berenice. “He didn’t even want you to be involved in the ceremony at all. He’ll never believe that Lilith has changed her plans.” 

“Then you must convince him my dear! For all our sakes.”

Berenice looked from William to Alex and back again. "Well....I can't say that I approve of your association with a human, but.......Oh William, when you touched me I could feel her within you! I heard her voice in my head. I have no option but to follow her instructions. My whole life has been dedicated to Lilith, this was why Mekure made me, to care for her and protect her. I always believed that when the night of resurrection came she would take me. It simply never occurred to me that she would chose another......" For a moment she looked completely lost, like a frightened child thrown out into the world alone.

"William, what shall I do now? My only purpose was to serve her." 

He put his arm around her shoulders. "She still needs you Berenice" he said comfortingly. "These people are your followers, she needs you to keep them true to her. When this is over, then......you can do whatever you wish. Make a life for yourself."

She gazed up at him. "But not with you?" she said sadly.

"No" he said, "not with me."


	12. Chapter 12

William strode out into the crowded hall and sat down in the throne-like chair. There was a tall antique mirror on the wall and I caught a glimpse of him as he passed it. I had to admit to myself that I was impressed, he certainly looked the part of a vampire God. The clear white and brilliant blue of his eyes stood out sharply against the deep red of his skin and his expression was stern and cold. Berenice had called her congregation together and proceeded to explain “my” instructions. They were not happy. William sat silent and immobile, his eyes flicking over the congregation, taking in the atmosphere.

_“What, we’re not going to get involved?”_

_“Let Berenice handle it for now.”_

After ten minutes or so of argument and muttering from the congregation Berenice finally lost her temper and stood up angrily.

“I am the Prophet of the Goddess!” she cried. “You will obey her or leave!”

Darius gave a smug little smile. “Do you wish us to obey her or you?” he asked. “Because there appears to be some discrepancy here between what we believed and what you are now proposing.”

William raised his head and spoke for the first time “There is no discrepancy here. I know that most of you are true believers, that you wish only to serve the Goddess. But there are those of you who would use her as a cloak for your own bloodlust. Who read her sacred words and see them as an excuse to kill, to rape and to destroy. This is not the way forward for us. It would bring only destruction.”

“Humans are merely food for us!” cried Darius angrily. “The Testament says so!”

“That is no excuse for wholesale murder!” said Bill. “It is perfectly possible to feed on humans without killing them. There is no reason to keep them and breed them like livestock as you have proposed. We can live alongside them in peace or they can wipe us out, it is our choice.”

“That is not what the word of Lilith states!” snarled Darius.

“If that is what you believe then you have misunderstood me.” William's voice was cold and harsh. “Blessed be the children of man for they are banished from the night without end. They flame as sparks from a fire and last as long.” 

To my surprise Darius appeared to recognise this and backed off a little.

_“Where did that come from?”_

_“Those were your words, from your Testament!”_

_“I don’t remember saying that! It doesn’t sound like me at all!”_

_“Actually you’re right, it doesn’t, but it seemed appropriate…..”_

I thought about this for a moment. 

_“So who wrote it down?”_

_“The prophet Sennefer .You spoke to him in the desert apparently.”_

_“I did? Sennefer..........Sennefer........was he a tall, skinny guy? Bald?”_

_“You’re asking me? How would I know?”_

_“I’m sure I never said that! I suspect he made it up!”_

_“Perhaps you were in a good mood that night? No? No that doesn’t seem very likely either.”_ William sighed. _“We’ll have to take a look through the testament, okay…..but another time please, we’re a little busy here!”_

Darius had stormed out without another word. 

Just then there was a commotion by the entrance to the hall and it appeared that the Authority had arrived. A short blond vampire reported to Berenice that several cars and a couple of Army trucks had pulled up in the lane and armed soldiers were surrounding the house. 

“Very well” said William. “You will authorise him to let them in. We have nothing to hide."

I saw the young man’s eyes widen at this and he looked back at Berenice, waiting for instructions. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Do as your God instructs you Hayden. Invite them in!” 

The great double doors were opened and a crowd of people came in, looking around warily. There were a group of vampires, accompanied by a number of humans, all in uniform and carrying what I assumed to be weapons. William nodded politely to the tall blond vampire in the lead. “Good evening Ulrich” he said. Ah! So that was Ulrich! He turned to Berenice. “Berenice, this is Ulrich Von Schröder, Ulrich, this is Berenice. Please, join us.” He gestured at the steps leading up to the platform where the two chairs stood. 

Before Ulrich could move one of the side doors to the hall was flung open and Darius marched back in dragging a girl by the hair. I recognised her as the little redhead that William had fed from days earlier. The one he had subsequently asked forgiveness from in the cellars. 

"Well just look what I’ve found heading out of the kitchens!” he said, pulling her into the centre of the hall. He threw the little red-haired girl into the centre of the room. 

William’s face had gone completely blank and still. He stood up slowly. “Get away from her at once Darius” he ordered. 

The group of vampires around Darius and the girl backed away hurriedly, sensing the threat in his voice, but Darius ignored him. 

These creatures were placed on the earth as food for us!” he cried. “No-one tells me what to do with my prey!” He gave the girl a little push and she staggered forward a few steps and then stopped. 

"You lay a finger on her again you little creep and I will make you regret it!” hissed William. 

I felt myself tense at his words, he was becoming angry, infuriated at the thought of Darius's treatment of the girl, I could feel a savage fury building up within him, the power of it making my skin prickle with excitement, he was losing control. This was my chance. 

“You’ll do what?” asked Darius furiously. “You want us to believe that the Goddess lives in you? Don’t make me laugh!” He glanced up at Berenice who was standing on the podium looking shocked. “You might be able to talk her around, she’s infatuated with you, the poor fool. But don’t think I’ll ever accept this!” 

He took a step towards the girl who was standing, frozen with fright, where he had thrown her. 

_“He defies us William, insults us, you cannot allow this!”_ I whispered. _“You have the strength William, I will give you the power to punish him, as he deserves. You must punish him, he must not be permitted to defy us!”_

William’s face twisted with anger and he flung up his hand, the palm facing towards Darius. I poured power into him and William threw it directly at Darius. I noted dispassionately that his control of the power was already sufficient to enable him to throw a wave of force past the girl without touching her....impressive. Then the force hit Darius full in the chest. He was picked up and flung against the far wall where he hung suspended, pinned against the wood panelling.

William gave a snarl and began to prowl down the steps and across the hall towards him. The calm reasonable creature that was William was gone now. I was lurking within the mind of a monster whose only thought was to cause agonising pain to the vampire who had threatened the girl. The girl he had sworn to protect only a few short hours ago. 

_“You have him now William, finish him!”_

Holding up his hand he began to clench his fist. Darius let out a shriek of agony as though William had taken hold of his heart and was crushing it in his hand. Flickers of red light began to appear around him like static electricity and he thrashed against the wall screaming and gasping with the pain. 

This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. William's mind was completely clouded by a red fog of anger. I was just about to reach for control when he paused. 

“Bill” came a whispered voice from behind us “That’s enough!” 

Suddenly the strain on William's mind was gone, he turned back to see Alex holding out her hand to him. I felt a surge of fury almost as powerful as the one which had nearly swept William away. Damn that girl! She had done it again! Just when I had almost had him.....


	13. Chapter 13

We had all moved into the dining room which Berenice had arranged as a conference room with a long dining table in the centre. The talking had been going on for about half an hour but no progress was being made. The main problem seemed to be the attitude of the humans towards William, and also towards me.

It was obvious that the mortals could not, or would not, accept that William was regarded by the Sanguinistas as a God. After twenty minutes or so of fruitless arguing he had looked down at himself and said "well, I can see that this is wasted on you." As they watched in astonishment the vivid colour of his skin began to fade and within a few minutes it was back to his normal ivory hue.

One of the uniformed men, the most objectionable in my opinion, raised his eyebrows and replied "Nice! But it still doesn't make you a God!"

 _“This is painful William! I’ve eaten things that didn’t argue this much! “Who is he?”_ I asked. 

_“He is a Colonel in the Army”_ explained William calmly. _“He’s in charge!”_

 _“He does not appear to be very powerful to me. I could crush him! I could give you the strength to crush him._ ” I offered.

William was silent for a moment. _“You need to understand Lilith, that the power of mortals lies not in their individual strength, but in their numbers. Yes, I could crush him even without your help, but there are many more like him…..too many!”_

I growled with frustration, just as Alex spoke up for the first time. “But does it matter?” she asked. There was a sudden silence and everyone stared at her.

“It isn’t necessary that you believe it surely? Just that they do!” she said.

The Colonel glared at her across the table for a moment, then his young aide gave a tentative little cough. “The young lady has a point actually Sir” he said.

“So long as they obey him” she said “what does it matter to you what their motivations are?”

_“Well I think we've demonstrated that they will obey us already!”_

After William had allowed the limp body of Darius to fall to the floor there had been a shocked silence for a moment and then one of the armed mortal soldiers has taken a step towards the little red-haired girl, obviously intending to help her. However she had panicked and fled, but not to her own people.......of all the creatures in that room, she had run to William. To the monster who had just half killed one of his own followers for attempting to defy him. As he walked back to the throne with her all the assembled vampires had knelt before him and bowed their heads.

After Alex's intervention things seemed to go a bit more easily. William relaxed a little and left most of the talking to Ulrich and a tall blond woman who appeared quite at ease and almost seemed to be enjoying herself. 

_“Who is she?”_

_“Her name is Nan Flanagan. She's a public relations consultant for the Authority.”_ A little smile appeared on William lips. _“She's a pain in the ass, but she's very, very good at her job!”_

There was one awkward moment when Ulrich and the Colonel's aide were arguing about methods of dealing with vampires who did not fall in line with the Authority's rules. Ulrich was, understandably, very reluctant to hand them over to the army for punishment but the infuriating Colonel evidently wanted to be judge and jury, and possibly executioner as well. I could feel William becoming angry again when they both suddenly fell silent, their eyes on him. I glanced down and saw swirls of red running down his arm.

Suddenly there was a warm hand on his thigh under the table and I felt the taut muscle relax and William's anger began to fade. That wretched girl again! He gave a little sigh and his hand closed over hers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Hours later we were back in his room and William was lying on his back on the bed complaining that his head ached! And for once it wasn't my fault! Alex sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “I think you’re going to have to get used to it you know.” she said.

William sat up and leaned back against the head of the bed, reaching over and pulling her up alongside him. They talked quietly together for a while until my attention was caught by a question.

“How did you get in?” he asked.

“Oh that was easy!” she said “I just hung around outside and let one of the guards catch me. I was dragged inside and slung into a storeroom for a hour or so then hauled up before you and Berenice. Then they dragged us downstairs to the basement, made us strip off and slung us in the cells.”

Oh, those idiots! This girl had ruined all my plans and they had brought her in themselves! Still, I supposed that I couldn't really blame them, I had thought her harmless myself.

William was looking horrified. “Oh Alex you poor thing! They made you strip? What on earth for?”

“Well I did ask actually.....but I just got a slap around the face.” she said. “I imagine that it was just because they could, and humans tend to feel much more helpless and less likely to put up a fight when they’re stark naked!”

Hmmm......I must remember that.

“Was that the same guard who broke your arm?” asked William, his eyes narrowing. I noticed that his fangs had slid out a little. “I think I need to have a little word with him!”

He was very protective of her, maybe I could use this knowledge to my advantage.

“I don’t really think that would be a good idea do you?” She asked. She put her hand on his chest and began to stroke him gently. “Um......Bill?” she asked carefully. “What exactly did you do to Darius?”

“I’m not entirely sure” he answered. “But when I thought of what Lucy had been through in this house at the hands of vampires and realised that he intended to kill her, for no better reason than to demonstrate that he could, well.......I just lost my temper. I was furious with him, I wanted him to suffer, I wanted to inflict agonising pain on him and so Lilith obliged me........” He turned to look at her. “You know.....I don’t know that I would have stopped, or even if I could have stopped, for anyone else.”

“Why?” I asked. “What’s different about me?”

“Good question” I thought to myself, what is different about her?

“I told you before that she fears you, but it’s not that exactly.” William was clearly struggling to express some concept that he did not really understand himself. “She fears my feelings for you. Because she doesn’t understand them. She understands fear, anger even lust, but that’s not what I feel for you” he glanced at her for a moment. “Well not all the time anyway!” he smiled. “But love, tenderness......she doesn’t seem to understand them.”

Well, really! I most certainly did not fear her! But as I considered his words I realised that he was not too far wrong after all. I didn't understand his feelings for her and that meant I didn't understand him.....I resolved to study their relationship more closely.

“I’m lucky to have you with me” he said softly. “You say things to me that no-one else would dare to say.”

Well that was certainly true enough. She showed him no respect whatsoever, on the contrary she teased him unmercifully and not only did he fail to punish her for this disrespect, he appeared to welcome it!

“Promise me something Alex! Promise that you’ll never leave me! I know it’s going to be difficult for you from now on but I need you now more than ever. I need you to tease me, to take the mickey out of me. To say those things that other people won’t dare to say. To stop me from taking myself too seriously. I need you to keep me sane. To remind me what it is to be human.”

I sighed to myself. Yes.......she definitely had to go.


	14. Chapter 14

He leaned over and kissed her gently. “You know you can trust me” he whispered. “I’d never do anything to hurt you........I love you.” He put his arm around her and pulled her to him, holding her body tight against his. In seconds their lips were locked together and they were kissing passionately. William tore off her shirt and pushed her back into the pile of soft pillows, his mouth moving down to the warm, delicate skin of her stomach and his fingers working frantically to unfasten her trousers

I relaxed and allowed my consciousness to flow out into William's body as his tongue trailed down her stomach while he tugged urgently at her clothing, pulling the trousers and panties down her legs and tossing them carelessly onto the floor. I could now feel every touch on his flesh, sense his increasing arousal as though it were my own. In fact, in a sense, it was my own. Williams lips were moving over her body, teasing, tasting her, trailing soft kisses over her breasts, tugging gently at her nipples with his teeth before trailing his tongue down between her legs. I could feel the muscles of her stomach tightening in anticipation as William's mouth moved over her and began to suck gently at her swollen flesh. His hands gripped her as she began to squirm under him, holding her firmly as she gasped and whined with the intensity of it.

“Oh Bill, please......I.....I’m...........” With a muffled cry she began to convulse in his arms. He held her against him until she lay still and then swung himself up onto his knees, crouching over her, looking down into her eyes. I stared down entranced by their colour, a pale blue grey with tiny gold flecks while he slid a hand down between her legs and dipped a fingertip into her warm wet opening. 

He murmured something to her softly just as I felt a jolt of lust race through me as her warm hand brushed over his stiff member, hardening it further until it was almost painful. Her fingers curled around it and he followed her lead unhesitatingly, moving as she directed him, wriggling her hips and spreading her thighs apart for him. I made the considerable effort to remain silent but I felt that if he didn't fuck her right now I wouldn't be responsible for the consequences. How he was able to hold back at this stage was quite beyond me.

Just as I was about to scream my frustration into his mind he sank down into her pushing himself in slowly and deeply, giving her body time to become accustomed to the size of him. When he withdrew, it was also slowly, so that his length stroked her as attentively his tongue had done moments ago. He had astonishing self control. All I could think of was a desperate need for him to move faster, harder and fortunately it seemed that Alex felt the same as, after the first few strokes she wrapped her legs around his hips, clinging tightly to him and urging him on with little cries of pleasure. The sensation of her warm soft flesh pressed against him pushed both of us over the edge and he began to move more strongly, thrusting harder and deeper as his own climax approached. William's hands moved to her shoulders and held her down as his fangs found her throat. 

I had not forgotten the incredible taste of her blood and, as William's lips fastened over the wounds I luxuriated in the taste of her, reflecting that William had certainly made a good choice – even if she was causing me considerable trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The girl lay sprawled across William's body, exhausted by their lovemaking and fast asleep.

_“This is uncomfortable William. Move her would you?”_

_“No! She's fine where she is.”_

_“William! I know when you're uncomfortable!”_

_“I'm not uncomfortable, I like it.”_

_“Well I don't!”_

_“It's none of your business.”_

_“Excuse me? I live within you William.....it most certainly is my business!”_

_“Then you'll just have to get used to it won't you?”_

I lapsed into a sullen silence and William sighed and carefully lifted Alex's limp form, gently placing her down onto the mattress. He pulled up the cover and made sure that it was completely covering her body, pulling it up to her shoulders. He paused, looking down at her and leaned down to place a feather light kiss on her forehead. She shifted slightly in her sleep, but did not wake.

William reached up and pulled a cord beside the bed. I was just wondering what it was for when I heard a knock at the door. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed he pulled on a robe which had been tossed carelessly onto the floor and headed for the door. One of Darius's guards stood outside and nodded when William told him he needed a “laptop”.

_“Well......you're improving!”_

_“Whatever do you mean?”_

I smiled to myself. _“You told him what you wanted. You didn't ask him for it, you ordered him to fetch it.”_ I could sense that William was slightly uneasy with this. _“You are their God William, it is only right that you should act like one.”_

A few minutes later the guard was back with a flat black box which he handed to William with a slight bow. He thanked him politely, which was more than I would have done.......well soon he would come to take this veneration as his right.

He settled himself comfortably on the bed beside Alex who was still sleeping peacefully and opened the box up. At the press of a button the inside of the lid lit up and words began to appear.

_“What is this magic?”_

_“Ah......well, if I can get an internet connection I'm sure you'll find this very interesting....and informative.”_

His fingers flew across the keys and in a very short time pictures began to appear on the screen. I watched, fascinated as William showed me scene after scene of mortal armies marching....thousands of them, all well armed. He showed me what he explained was film of scenes of panic in various countries on the night of the Great Revelation. Then images of mortals who hated us, religious leaders who called for the destruction of all vampires as soulless demons. Exhorting mortals to fight to save the human race.

_“Do people actually listen to this nonsense?”_

_“Oh yes! I have personal experience of these people......watch”_

His fingers raced over the keys again and a page appeared headed “The Fellowship of the Sun”. I read, with growing fury, the page of vicious, angry hatred for my children.

 _“Why are they permitted to do this?”_ I demanded. _“These people should have been wiped out by now!”_

_“Remember what I said to you about the Colonel? That there were too many others like him? Well this situation proves my point perfectly. The leader of this church, Reverend Newlin, was killed by a nest of vampires from Dallas.”_

_“So I should hope!”_

_“It didn't help us Lilith”_ he explained patiently. _“It only made them more determined to wipe us out. When I left the States The Fellowship was being led by Rev Newlin's son, Steve Newlin, who hates vampires even more than his father did. His father has become a martyr to their sacred cause and they want revenge!”_

He typed rapidly and more information appeared on the screen. Pictures of rooms full of weapons.

 _“You see.......they have an armoury of weapons specifically designed to kill vampires. Crossbows with wooden arrows, rocket launchers, wooden bullets with silver cores........watch”_ He clicked on a video and I watched as a man put a long metal tube to his shoulder and pressed a trigger with a cry of triumph. An enormous tongue of flame shot out of the tube and set fire to a straw dummy with two ridiculous fangs painted on it, to the raucous cheers of the onlookers.

_“It's some kind of mechanical dragon?”_

_“It's a flamethrower. Dragons? really.....”_

_“You don't believe in them? Well I've not seen any for millenia I must admit.”_

_“You've seen dragons?”_ he asked, his voice hushed in awe, momentarily distracted from my lesson in modern weaponry.

 _“There were dragons once”_ I said quietly. _“When this earth was young there were many things which no longer exist on this plane. They were the children of a sea goddess from ancient Babylon. Now what was her name........Tiamat! That was it. I've not seen her for millenia either. She seems to have faded from human memory, or at least if they remember her, they no longer believe......”_

We sat in silence for a while and then William went back to the keyboard and began flicking through different images.

_“What are you doing now?”_

_“I'm looking for something.”_

_“Looking for what?”_

_“A gift........for Alex.”_

I watched as he began to search through screens devoted to cars until he found what he was looking for. He gave a little sigh.

_“Oh dear.......that's the one!”_

_“What's wrong”_ I asked staring at the sleek, two seater car on the screen.

_“That's the car that Alex has spoken of.....the one she's always wanted.”_

_“Well that's good isn't it? You've found what you were looking for.”_

I was bored with this already. William, however, was looking distinctly worried for some reason.

_“That's a very powerful car! It could be dangerous for her.”_

Suddenly I was interested!

_“Dangerous, how is it dangerous?”_

_“It's very powerful and very fast.”_ He sighed and came to a decision, opening a small window on the screen and beginning to type a message. _“Well, she's driven my Aston Martin with no problem.......and I know it's what she wants.....”_

I relaxed and watched him as he fetched a sheet of paper from the desk and wrote a note. This could be my answer, perhaps she would kill herself in this car and I'd be rid of her........


	15. Chapter 15

The next night we left Darius's house and moved to William's house, the house by the river, the one I had first seen when I watched him obsessively before making my fateful decision.

Alex was delighted with her gift and William insisted, to the obvious horror of the Authority members, that she would drive him home. Rather to my disappointment, she proved to be a competent driver, even managing to lose the Authority's security guards who were following in two armoured vans, although William persuaded her to stop and wait for them to catch up.

The first few weeks were taken up with endless meetings, organised by the Authority, together with one appearance on Television which was interesting, although Ulrich did most of the talking. After this appearance I began to acknowledge the power of mortal technology. I knew that this appearance would be seen by millions of people but somehow I had not appreciated what it meant. It was only when vampires began to arrive at the house asking to see us that I understood what a powerful tool this technology was. They had never met William, never seen him in the flesh, and yet they believed. And after meeting him they were prepared to do anything for him, for me. I had an uncomfortable feeling that he made a better God than I did! 

William had an incredible memory. He talked to people and actually listened to their replies. When he met them again he remembered them. He remembered their names and details of their lives and their families. He asked after their wives and children. At first I considered this a waste of his, and my, valuable time. I would never have had the patience or indeed the inclination to take an interest in mortals' lives. However I came to understand that this pleased them, they began to trust him, even to like him and this made the negotiations easier. 

William might annoy me intensely at times but I had to admit that he was far better at dealing with humans than I could ever be. I gladly loaned him my power at times when an example was necessary but for the most part I was quiet and watched him work.

Although William was a stubborn man and his association with the girl, Alex had enabled him to resist my dominance I began to appreciate that, nevertheless, he was doing, and would continue to do his best for me. Admittedly this was not what I had actually wanted him to do, but despite my frustration I was beginning to understand that it was probably the only way. Since he had shown me, through the computer screen, images of the weapons of war which mortals had created, I had accepted that these weapons were of such power as to render our physical superiority ineffectual.

I knew now that William had been the right choice for me, but I also knew that my power over him would be much increased if I could get rid of the girl. Somehow, in some manner which I could not quite understand, she was able to help him to resist my authority. I thought, perhaps, that she was a constant reminder of his lost humanity. What was it he had said? That he strived to be “good enough for her”. I felt sure that, without her influence, his vampire nature would be able to reassert itself. 

I could not harm her physically and I knew that even if I could he would never forgive me for it and our relationship would be damaged irreparably. He would never voluntarily send her away, at least not for his sake, but perhaps there was a way......

I knew that he claimed that he loved her, or at least that he thought he did! I had noticed that he was always careful of her safety. Perhaps if he came to believe that his influence was harmful to her.....

I felt that perhaps a change of attitude on my part was called for.

William had accepted that he could not manage all the inevitable meetings and conference calls himself and so he had recruited an old friend of his to assist him. I was surprised to find that this friend, Gerry, also had a human girl with him. She was clearly used to dealing with the media and proved to be extremely helpful. Between them they allowed William to finally get a bit of peace and quiet. 

One night we were lying in William's enormous bed in what he had told me was the old converted wine cellars. William and Alex had made love for hours but I was not prepared to stop there.

_“Hmmm…..that was wonderful William. Do it again!”_

William’s fingers moved gently through her hair as he tucked his arm around her.

_“She’s far too tired”_

_“Then get someone else!”_

_“What?_ ”

 _“Get one of the guards to round up a couple of girls for you…….or if you’re tired of humans, I’m sure Berenice would be happy to oblige you.”_ I smiled reminiscently to myself. _“She so enjoyed you William, I’m sure she’d be delighted!”_

_“I don’t want anyone else!”_

_“Come on……I’m inside your mind remember. Don’t try to tell me that you’re completely satisfied. You would like more……now wouldn’t you?”_

He shifted uncomfortably.

_“Perhaps I would…….but Alex wouldn’t!”_

_“Well exactly! I wouldn’t want you to hurt the poor child”_ I murmured sympathetically. _“That’s why you should send for some other women to satisfy your requirements. You are a God to them now William, there are plenty of women, humans and vampires, who would be only too happy to share your bed. They would be honoured to satisfy your every need._

_“I do not require other women!”_

_“Men then? Whatever you want.....”_

There was no response from William.

_“Don't think you can deceive me William. I'm inside your head remember. I know what you feel, how your body reacts, what you need. You know in your heart that she can never truly satisfy you. You need more than she can give you, more than her frail mortal body is capable of, and you fear that you will hurt her. That's why you hold yourself back._

There was still no response and I recalled a memory I had felt from him when we first walked into the wide stone flagged hallway with its two leather sofas before the fire.

_“You took her over the back of that sofa once didn't you? You couldn't wait.....you needed her right that moment. You nearly lost control then didn't you?_

I felt William shift uncomfortably, tightening his arm around her and I concentrated on his thoughts.

_“Oh my! You have lost control in the past haven't you? You've hurt her!”_

_“Yes”_ his thought was almost inaudible, ashamed. _“I have. But it will never happen again!”_

An amusing thought struck me. _“You're afraid of her reaction!”_

_“What?”_

_“You're afraid that she won't like it, that she'll disapprove if you slake your lust in other women!”_

_“On the contrary......she suggested it.”_

For a moment I was lost for words.

_“She did what?”_

_“I've told you this before, she understands me, she accepts what I am. She knows that I take care not to hurt her and she trusts me, completely. We had this discussion once and she said that she would understand if I needed someone else. I didn't suggest it.......it was her idea.”_

_“Then why on earth don't you?”_

_“Because you're right. Although she would understand, she wouldn't like it. And I have no wish to hurt her either physically or emotionally. She has made so many sacrifices to be with me, because she thinks that being with me is worth it. Well I can make a few in order to be with her, because I think being with her is worth a few sacrifices.”_

I was silent for a moment, considering....

_“I know you don't like her Lilith, that you don't approve of our relationship, but you'll just have to get used to it!”_

_“I have no objections to her. By all means, keep her if you wish. She is useful after all.”_

_“That is not why she is here!”_

_“She gives you pleasure does she not......and sustenance? Why else would you keep a human?”_

_“I love her,”_ he growled. _“Why is it that someone with your knowledge and experience cannot understand this simple concept! Even if she did not allow me to feed from her and to make love to her, I would still want her to stay with me.”_

 _“She allows you to do these things? She has a choice in the matter?”_ I allowed a trace of scepticism to creep into my tone which I knew would infuriate him. 

_“Yes, she does!”_ he snapped.

 _“But she does not truly understand the danger, does she, the prey never does.”_

_“Alex is not prey!”_

_“If you continue to feed on her William, that is exactly what she is. She enjoys it doesn't she, they always do, and it makes them reckless. When prey has been taken so many times they stop caring about death. There's only the pleasure of being fed apon. They care nothing for the danger. There's no thought involved, no judgement, no hesitation, only need and desire.”_

William had no response to this. He knew that I was right.


	16. Chapter 16

Several nights later I was beginning to think I had made a serious error of judgement. William had continued to allow Alex to share his bed but he had not fed from her since our conversation about the dangers of this action, the addictive nature of the pleasure of being fed from. I was not the only one to notice this. His friend Gerry had begun suggesting that he arrange for volunteer blood donors to provide a food supply for them, although he himself appeared to be well supplied by his own human lover. 

There was a plentiful supply of synthetic blood in the house. After all, William and the rest of the Authority were putting forward a mainstreaming agenda which involved vampires drinking the synthetic. But we all knew that, although vampires could survive on Tru Blood, it was not as nourishing as the real thing, nor did it taste anything like as good. Then one night Alex brought the situation to a head herself one evening after a particularly difficult and long drawn out meeting. She lay in his arms, her warm breath brushing gently and rhythmically over his skin and she nuzzled at his shoulder. I could feel the little shivers, aftershocks of their lovemaking, running through her body.

“What's wrong darling?” she murmured. “I know you're hungry......”

William lay on his back, his arm around her shoulders and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, I could feel him trying to put his confused thoughts into words. 

“I.......I can't. Not after everything that's happened.....every time I think of it, when I imagine myself feeding from you, all I can see are those cells.......those people, kept there as food.” He gave a sigh. “I know that everyone who comes here, human and vampire, thinks that is why I keep you with me...........for food. I know that Lilith believes that. They think that I advocate peaceful co-existence, that I push forward the mainstreaming agenda, persuade other vampires to drink Tru Blood, and at the same time I keep a human girl in my home to feed from myself. What does that make me Alex? A hypocrite of the worst kind!”

Hmmm, nice excuse! But I was sure that was not the real reason, or at least, not the whole of it. I knew that he was telling the truth, he really did feel that he was acting a little hypocritically although I couldn't see it myself. After all, it wasn't as if he had dragged her in off the street! It appeared that Alex also realised that William's explanation did not quite ring true. She put her arms around him and laid her dark head on his chest. 

“Oh come on Bill, if you kept me chained up in the cellar to feed from, then you would be a hypocrite. But you don't, they know that. I could leave at any time. I've not been glamoured and kept here against my will. For heaven's sake you don't even feed from me any more!” She looked up at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. “That's not all of it is it?” she asked. “There's something more?”

She was sharp!

He sighed and looked down at her. “It's Lilith” he admitted with a sigh. “She thinks that, deep down, I regard you as prey, that if I continue to feed on you that it will prove that is all you are to me. She thinks that I have drawn you in, made you addicted to being fed on.......and she's right, it's what we do.”

I sighed, he was supposed to feel this, that had been my intention, but not to tell her! The idiot!

“What!” Alex sat up and gaped at him in surprise. “You believed her!”

“But it's true Alex” he said quietly. “You enjoy it.......don't you?”

I was interested to see that she looked distinctly uncomfortable at this question. However she did not deny it, as I had rather expected her to do.

“Well......yes. But that's not the only reason, you know that. I want to feed you, you need it, you know you do....” She reached out and stroked his pale cheek gently. “You're hungry.....and I love you....” She pushed him gently onto his back and climbed astride him, shifting her body carefully to allow him to ease himself back inside her. I could feel the little shudder run through him as she moved herself forward, tightening muscles deep inside her to squeeze him, hold him. I felt William's reaction as a fresh surge of lust as he suddenly reared up holding her firmly by the hips and rolled over so that she lay crushed beneath him in the pillows. His long curved fangs were fully extended and he lowered his head to her neck and began to lick hungrily at her throat. He paused and looked down into her eyes. 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yes Bill, yes I'm sure.”

I felt him hesitate for a moment still, and then he relaxed. However, despite his hunger he bit gently down and then sealed his lips around the wounds and drank with the same care that I had noticed when he fed from the red haired girl who was given to him at Darius's house. After a few mouthfuls he pulled back and looked down at her again. 

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

“Yes, yes, I'm fine” she murmured softly. Her eyes had rolled back a little and even I could feel her deep pleasure flowing through the blood bond.

He bent his head and drank again and, although he was careful not to take too much, just enough to slake his thirst, I knew that my scheme had failed. Alex lay back on the pillows as he licked tenderly at the little wounds, careful not to waste a drop of her precious blood.

There was no more talking, evidently there was no need for words as they relaxed into each other's arms and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

I felt William wake with the dusk.

 _“Feeling better now?”_ I asked cynically.

_“Much better thank you.”_

_“Do you really think it was a good idea to tell her about your worries that she would become addicted to the feeding? I couldn't believe that you would be so stupid!”_

_“I had promised her that I would always be honest with her. And why should I lie to her?”_

_“Surely it would have been better for her not to know that? There are things about us that it's best for mortals not to know, for their own sakes!”_

_“You really believe that? That I should have lied to her for her sake?”_

_“Yes!”_ I said firmly. _“It would have been for her own good!”_

I could feel William's smile. _“No Lilith”_ he murmured softly. _“If there is one thing I've learned it's that lying to someone can never be for their own good.”_

I chuckled to myself. _“You really think she never lies to you?”_

_“I know she would never lie to me!”_

I thought I knew better, but then suddenly I remembered their conversation of the previous night. He had asked her if she enjoyed being bitten and I had seen her discomfort at his question. She didn't want to admit it, she had been embarrassed to admit it, but she had. I had expected her to deny it, to pretend that she offered herself to him only for his sake, but she hadn't. Could he be right? Surely not!

 _“I know that's not a good idea”_ he said patiently. _“Lying to people, or witholding information, however much it seems a good idea at the time, never works. The truth always comes out in the end.”_

_“Most mortals can't handle the truth!”_

_“Well Alex is different! I've been so busy lately”_ said William thoughtfully, _“I should make more time for her, I owe her that after all she's done for me.”_

_“Why do you think that you owe her anything? She is merely a mortal, she is of no consequence to us surely? You are a highly intelligent vampire William. You are of great use to me, but I cannot understand this excessive concern for a human.”_

_“I will always be concerned for her, so you had better get used to it! Besides, we have to deal with humans so perhaps you should try to understand them a little better. You've been there during all the Authority's negotiations after all. Do you have no contribution to make?”_

_“I would not lower myself to negotiate with humans. They are beneath contempt.”_

_“Oh Lilith.....why can you not see the good in them. Those who killed you probably only did so out of fear, and they are long gone, can you not forgive them?”_

I remained silent. Forgive them? How dare he suggest such a thing?

 _“Oh well, perhaps in time you will change.”_

I was suddenly furious with him. _“How dare you! I was brought into existence by the word of the Almighty and you would have the arrogance to think that you can change me! I do not change, I will never change!”_

He winced at the sudden pain my anger caused him but replied mildly, _“You have not changed because you have not really existed before. You have not had physical form for many thousands of years. But now that you have, maybe things will be different.”_

 _“Why would you think this?”_

_“Because everything changes Lilith, whether it wants to or not. Existing in this world changes you, interacting with others changes you. You grow, you learn new things.”_

_“I was created with all the knowledge in existence.”_ I replied stubbornly.

 _“All the knowledge that was in existence then perhaps, but a lot has changed since. Do you not want to learn new things?”_ He sounded genuinely curious. 

I was silent at this, considering. I had to reluctantly admit that he was right. In the short time in which I had lived in him I had learned that the world had changed. Indeed it was almost unrecognisable as the world I had known. However I had no intention of letting him know this if I could possibly keep it from him! I felt sure that, just as I knew what was in his mind, so he knew what was in mine. It was for this reason that I deliberately began to irritate him, to prevent him from seeing into my mind. And I knew just how to do it......

_“Perhaps you are right, on consideration I have learned something new. I have learned that your little pet can give us the most exquisite pleasure.”_

I could feel his annoyance at this.

_“But she is merely mortal William. You are so much stronger than her, especially now. Are you not concerned that you will damage her, perhaps irreparably?”_

_“Yes! That is why I am very careful not to do so.”_

_“But William, I've said this before. If you were to have sex with another vampire you would not have to worry about this. She's even given you permission! You have done so in the past haven't you?”_

He rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. 

_“That won't help William, you are not hearing me with your ears!”_

_“I know that!”_ He snapped.

I continued to needle him. _“Lorena now, your maker. Sex with her was.........fiery, rough.........you enjoyed that didn't you?”_

_“Will you please go away? And stop rummaging through my memories!”_

I chuckled to myself, he was so sensitive! _“Then there was Claudia and Anastasia.......she taught you much my friend and........what's this, Berenice? My Berenice? You had my Guardian? Oh you bad, bad boy! To distract her from her sacred duty! And such a distraction too, No wonder she waited for your arrival before performing the ceremony.”_

_“Stop this right now!”_

William sat up and slipped quietly out of the bed so as not to wake Alex. _“We have a meeting this evening with Charles Montague and the Secretary of State and you will take notice of what is said, give me the benefit of your thoughts on the matter and not leave everything to me. Is that understood?”_

Suddenly the tables were turned. It was I who was annoyed. _“ You do not give me orders William!”_

 _“Then what will you do?”_ He snapped. _“Spend the rest of eternity hiding out in my head, unable to affect anything? I thought you wished to lead our kind. Don't you think it's time you started?”_

There was an awkward silence during which I realised with some irritation that he was right......again!

_“I will consider your request.”_

William sighed and stepped into the shower.


	17. Chapter 17

It was a few nights later and William was sitting at his desk reading a report when Alex put her head around the door looking a little worried.

“Bill!” she hissed. “What's going on?”

He turned and held out his hands to her. “Alex? Oh yes......I forgot to mention it to you.”

I listened as he explained that he had received a message from Ulrich who told him that information had got out about a nest of vampires which the Authority had discovered a few weeks ago. Sanguinistas, who had a set-up very similar to that at Darius's house, holding humans as prisoners for food. He was clearly annoyed about this although whether it was the actual organisation which upset him or the fact that it had been discovered by mortals, I wasn't quite sure. Apparently the media wanted to do an interview with William and Ulrich and he thought that Alex should join them.

By this time she was sitting in his lap and I felt her shiver in his arms. He reached up and brushed back her hair, trying to explain that some vampires still liked to live that way despite the Authority's best efforts and the threat of the true death for any who were caught. She clearly wasn't too happy about the interview but was willing to help him, although he told her he had asked Gerry to try and arrange for another girl to join them. He clearly thought that someone who was not associated with him would have a greater impact.

She smiled and leaned forward, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him hungrily. Pushing her fingers up through his hair, she examined his face carefully. “You look better” she said. “Not so pale and hungry.”

He smiled. “I feel much better thank you. You were right, I needed to feed, I was just afraid.......”

“Shh.....I know, I understand."

At this point Gerry arrived and we headed into the kitchen where his human girlfriend Susie was talking to another girl who I recognised with some surprise as the red-haired girl who had been dragged into the hallway and threatened by Darius. The girl William had fed on, and then later asked for her forgiveness. He and Gerry had just convinced her to join them when Ulrich arrived and the technicians finished setting up.

I found the interview itself to be fascinating, if only because it afforded me an opportunity to observe Ulrich's reactions and compare him to William. I understood that everything we said was to be recorded but that it was not to be released until Ulrich had approved it. I must admit I thought this a very sensible precaution!

He seemed unusually nervous and I soon realised that this was probably due to the interviewer who, beneath his friendly exterior proved to be almost as obnoxious as the army Colonel we had dealt with in my first meeting with the Authority. He would smile and ask innocuous questions until he thought that you had relaxed and then ask the one he really wanted the answer to, the answer he knew you didn't want to give him. William and Ulrich were remarkably open and honest with him and he began to get a little frustrated towards the end when he realised that he wasn't getting the reaction he wanted. At this point he began to get personal. I had promised William that I would allow him to handle the interview without trying to interfere but when he began to throw doubt on my presence I started to become angry.

He was talking about the colour of William's skin and asked jokingly if it was a dye when Ulrich snapped and went for him, fangs out. William moved so fast I was actually unaware that he had drawn power from me until he took Ulrich by the arm and pulled him back.

 _“Show him William!”_ I demanded. _“You know how to do this, give this unbeliever a demonstration!”_

William placed his hands on the table in front of him. _“Well done!”_ he murmured.

_“What? Why?”_

_“You didn't suggest that I kill him! You're starting to get the hang of diplomacy after all!”_

_“Well.....I did think of it, but I didn't think you'd approve....”_

_“You were quite right!”_

By this time William's skin was streaked with a blood red colour which swirled across his flesh in discrete marks. He had made a slight change to the technique I had used and I was impressed by it. The contrast between his pale skin and the deep red stripes was shocking and completely inexplicable. The startled interviewer pulled himself together and blustered a little but as William and Ulrich remained calm and polite it was clear that the interview was effectively over.

William insisted on seeing the interviewer out, to his obvious discomfort and when we returned to the kitchen the others were sitting around the table looking relieved.

Alex, however, seemed slightly annoyed by William's demonstration.

“The last time you did that we were inundated with vampires wanting to see you!” she complained. “I could hardly get out of the house after dark for weeks!”

Ulrich smiled. “Well perhaps now would be a good time to flee the country then” he suggested.

Everyone stared at him showing various degrees of surprise. “What? Why would I flee the country?” asked William.

“Well, we’ve received an invitation from our Authority Chancellors in the US” explained Ulrich. “Naturally, they want to meet you, talk to you, talk to Lilith in fact.”

William looked horrified. “You want me to go on tour!”

_“What does this mean?”_

_“Later!”_

There was quite a bit of sniggering at this but Ulrich somehow managed to keep a straight face. “They have invited you to visit New York and Chicago” he said. “Obviously they expect you to bring your entourage with you….” He swept his hand around to encompass the rest of us.

“My what?” he asked.

Ulrich gave in and laughed. “Well all right, whatever you want to call them, your staff, family……where is Azaria by the way?” he asked looking around as if he expected her to be hiding somewhere.

“Oh she’s off somewhere with Dan I expect” said William. “So she’s invited as well? is there any limit to this “entourage”? and who’s paying for this anyway?”

“The Authority will pick up any expenses” said Ulrich. “We have several private jets available, one of them will be placed at your disposal. You may take whoever you wish to accompany you, Bill……you’re a God, remember? Or at least, the host of one.”

“Right!” he gave a little laugh. “Like I could let that slip my mind occasionally!”

 _“What is this about!”_ I demanded insistently.

_“We have been invited to visit the New World.”_

_“How would we get there?”_

_“We would fly”_ he said quietly. Gerry opened his mouth to speak but Alex stopped him. 

_“Is that safe?”_

William smiled to himself, _“yes it’s perfectly safe, nothing will happen to me, don’t worry!”_

He blinked and looked up. “Well, it appears that Lilith approves. Provided there’s no risk of me getting hurt of course. She couldn’t permit her host to be damaged in any way!” He turned to Alex with a smile. “It looks like we’re going on holiday!”


	18. Chapter 18

Everyone began to chat excitedly and in the confusion William took Alex's hand and drew her closer to him. 

“Ulrich’s had a gift brought here for me” he said with a rather sly little smile. He headed for the kitchen door, pulling Alex’s gently with him.

“What is it?” she asked, stumbling a little to keep up with him.

“It’s a surprise” he said. “You’ll see. I think he was inspired by your new car!”

William led her across the kitchen and opened the door to the small yard at the side of the house. Outside on the grey flagstones stood a curious looking machine. A gleaming, black two wheeled vehicle. It was a motorcycle! I had seen pictures of them and images on TV, but I’d never been this close to one before.

Alex gave an excited little squeak. “Is that the same…….”

“The very one!” answered William with a grin. “Ulrich had it shipped over from Italy.” He looked down at her with a warm smile and suddenly I was immersed in a clear memory within his mind. He was wearing heavy boots, jeans and a black leather jacket and was sitting astride the motorcycle, the engine growling like some savage beast waiting impatiently to be unleashed. Alex was standing beside him, struggling to pull a rucksack onto her back before climbing onto the pillion seat behind him. As she did so I realized that the engine was not the only growling noise I could hear and William’s head turned sharply to the arched entry to the square, where several low grey shapes had appeared, wolves! no…..werewolves! There was a deep roar and the machine leapt forward across the square and flew under the opposite archway and out into the night.

I blinked and I was suddenly looking at the machine parked in the quiet yard outside the Mill House.

Alex put her arm around William’s waist and hugged him briefly. “You stay here and drool over it while I go and get myself something to eat, I’m starving!” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead and she slipped back into the kitchen leaving William admiring his gift.

 _“Isn’t that dangerous?”_ I asked. _“Surely you could get hurt badly riding that thing? I couldn’t permit that!”_

 _“Well there…..you see….”_ he said, a slight tinge of sarcasm in his thoughts, _“that’s another advantage of having Alex with me. I’ll be far more careful of her safety than of my own!”_

He paused for a moment and I could almost feel him considering my words. 

_“Why would that bother you anyway? I’d heal quickly enough. Or are you concerned that I’d be hurt too badly to heal? That you would be trapped in a damaged body.”_

There was another pause as he considered this thought. 

_“Suppose I were to meet the true death?”_ he asked thoughtfully. _“What would happen to you then?”_

I was silent, shocked that this possibility would even occur to him.

After a moment I could feel his surprise. _“You don’t know, do you?”_ he said. _“A situation like this has never happened before has it?”_

 _“Don’t try my patience William!”_ I said coldly. _“You don’t want me to get angry with you again now do you?”_ I felt him stiffen at my words, his muscles tightening in an instinctively aggressive response.

 _“Don’t think you can intimidate me into submission Lilith, because it won’t work!”_ he replied, equally coldly. _“I’ve dealt with bullying women before remember!”_

He was comparing me with his maker! How dare he……I lost my temper completely. I felt myself falling as William collapsed to his knees in the gravel to the side of the kitchen door, his hands to his head, his fangs driven into his lower lip to try to control the agony I was causing him. But he was silent, one hand out to brace himself on the ground, to stop himself from falling forward. I sent another wave of pain stabbing through his head and was rewarded with a faint intake of breath, but still he made no sound. Too late I recalled that he had been a soldier, a brave man and headstrong, he would not give in…..

I relaxed a little, easing back the pain and he gasped with relief. _“Don’t do this Lilith”_ he whispered, his voice harsh with stress, _“you’ll regret it!”_ There was a moment of darkness and then I was inside another memory. 

William was alone with his maker Lorena. They had been arguing and she had thrown him away from her across the room to fall onto a small table which had shattered beneath him. He lay in the wreckage and looked up at her for a moment and I realized that all his hate and fear of her was gone. He was quite calm as he picked up a broken piece of table leg and placed the splintered end against his heart.

 _“No!”_ I breathed. _“Not that! You would never have destroyed yourself, you are too stubborn for that!”_

_“Look into my mind Lilith, you can see the truth.”_

And so I could. I knew, without a doubt, that he meant it. He would have done it, destroyed himself, if she had not released him. Evidently she knew it too as she had given him up, in a flood of tears and recrimination.

William placed a hand on the wall beside the kitchen door and stood up shakily. _“I would have done it Lilith, to rid myself of one domineering woman…..don’t think I wouldn’t do it again! And then what would become of you?”_

 _“I cannot die! I am a God, a true immortal!”_ I hissed.

_“Perhaps not, maybe you would simply be freed to find someone else…..someone more malleable. But I would be free as well……”_

I confess that I began to feel a trace of panic at his words, he sounded quiet, defeated. _“But what of your lover? What of Alex?”_ I asked.

He was quite still and silent for a moment. _“Perhaps it would be for the best”_ he murmured softly. _“She is young, she’ll get over it in time. She can make a new life for herself, one where she will not be in danger as she is here. Sometimes I think I’ve brought her nothing but trouble and pain.”_

 _“You know I don’t want that William”_ I said in a small voice.

As he sighed and leaned back against the wall I felt him relax a little as he felt the heat that had been absorbed by the old stones during a day of sunshine. 

_“Can you not see the irony here?”_ he asked. _“The qualities that you berate me for, my stubbornness, my defiance, are the very qualities you once admired in me. The things you need in a host! We want the same things Lilith, we want our people to be safe and to be able to live in peace, you must know by now that taking over the world and ruling humans will never be possible! Why must we fight all the time, why won’t you let me help you?”_

 _“Probably because I’ve never had anyone to help me before”_ I said, after a moment’s thought. _“I’ve never needed anyone…..”_

_“Then let me help you now. We're flying out to America tomorrow night, let's begin again, working together we can accomplish so much more.”_

I sighed to myself. I couldn't decide whether to be pleased with him or furious. I had chosen this man for many reasons, his powerful will, his determination and his good heart. How could I now complain of those very same qualities?

 _“Very well”_ I breathed, almost hoping he would not hear me. _“I'll try.”_

I felt him relax. _“Good. Then let's celebrate our new agreement shall we?”_

He stepped away from the wall and swung his leg over the motorbike. Reaching into his pocket for a key he turned on the engine. The deep roar startled me for a moment and he had reached forward for the handlebars before I could do anything to stop him. But instead of moving off, he paused.

 _“Trust me?”_ he asked.

_“Damn it! Yes of course I do!”_

_“Then why don't you join me....fully?”_

Had I understood him correctly?

_“You would allow this? You would trust me?”_

_“Just this once.....”_ He took a deep breath. _"Perhaps it's about time we started trusting one another."_

I gave a sigh and allowed myself, my consciousness, to flow out into him and he did nothing to stop me. Suddenly I was in his body again, all of it. I flexed my fingers and grasped the rubber grips, feeling the rough surface against my skin, or his skin...... There was a faint sensation almost like a polite cough. 

_“Um.....do you know how to ride a motorbike?”_

_“Well of course not!”_

_“Then perhaps you had better let me?”_

I felt him take control from me. I had just a second to realise how effortless it had been and then we were moving. His feet lifted up onto the footrests and I understood that I was still there with him. I was no longer confined to his mind but was in his whole body. I felt his fingers stretch forward and pull in the clutch, felt the pressure on the toe of his boot as he pushed up the gear lever. Then we were flying down the lane and out onto the main road to Oxford. 

Half an hour later we stopped on the brow of a hill looking down over the city, the lights spread out beneath us like a glittering carpet. I felt alive for the first time in thousands of years. Felt as though every nerve in my body was on fire with the exhilaration, the pure, fierce excitement of racing through the dark countryside, both of us in perfect control of the powerful machine.

_“Oh William, that was......indescribable. It's the closest you could get to flying......”_

I felt the rumble in his chest as he laughed _“You enjoyed it then?”_

_“Oh yes.....let's go back home!”_

He fired up the engine again and began to move off and suddenly, with a slight twinge of unease, I realised that Alex and I had something in common after all. I trusted him to take care of me.


	19. Chapter 19

The next night, William had some business to conduct before we left. I had no interest in his financial affairs and I was concentrating on the journey to come when something Alex said caught my attention. Had she just called me a monster!

“No....no she isn't Alex, not really.” said William quietly. “Life is much easier when you can write things off as monsters to be feared and hated. Sure, she might have been trying to take over, but there's no point in hating her for it. Hate damages you and I'm damaged enough already! That would only damage me more.”

Alex seemed to accept this and began signing some documents, but William's words stayed with me for some reason. I had recently begun to listen more closely to his opinions as I found that he was very often correct but this idea disturbed me greatly. “Hate damages you.” I had spent many thousands of years nurturing my hatred of mortals. At times I had felt that it was all I had, the hatred and the desire for revenge. From the very first William had tried to persuade me to let go of it, to forgive them. At the time I had thought that his concern was for their sake, or even for his, but perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps he truly was concerned for my sake, if he believed that I was being damaged by my hatred. I thought about this as William and Alex made their arrangements to leave. 

I knew that he cared for me, although part of me struggled to accept this. When I had decided to take him as a host I had never considered the possibility of any kind of relationship developing between us. I expected to take his body for my own and use it as I saw fit. When he fought back and suceeded in regaining control I was furious but William, although obviously unhappy with my presence, nevertheless did his best to accommodate me. He knew that my presence gave him tremendous power among our kind and he intended to use it to the best of his considerable ability to enable vampires to live alongside humans in peace. Admittedly this had not been part of my original plan but after some time with William I was starting to realise that he had been right all along. If my children were to survive in this new world they would need to be able to live in peace with mortals. Perhaps he was right in this too, perhaps it was time to let my implacable and indiscriminate hatred of mortals go. Strangely the one mortal who had done most to bring about this change of heart was Alex. The girl who had done the most to ruin my plans! The one who I was beginning to realise was not entirely mortal after all!

I had always considered them as nothing more than food. Yes, they were dangerous but then we were hunters, predators who were quite capable of overcoming any human. I had never considered their feelings, their motivations, their fears. But Alex had brought all this home to me. It was impossible to see them together without realising how much she loved William. She had literally risked her life for him. I had seen her courage and determination at first hand. Despite her fear of what he had become she had refused to leave him, she had never even attempted to get away from him, her only concern was to free him from my control. It would never have occurred to me that a mortal would take such a risk for one of us, but then I had never considered that such a powerful bond of love could exist between a vampire and a mortal. I sighed, it seemed that I had a lot to learn. However, the accommodation William and I had come to the previous evening had somehow eased my mind. It was as though a great weight had fallen from my shoulders when I had agreed to accept his help. Perhaps now we could move forward together.

A few hours later William and the rest of the vampires had entered sealed travelling pods which, he had told me would be transferred to the airport and loaded onto the aircraft. There were various things that I wished to discuss with him and this seemed a good chance since we would be alone together for some time.

 _“Tell me about where we are going William?”_ I asked 

_“Am I asleep?”_

_“I thought we had agreed that you would not try to influence me in my sleep! Can I not trust your word Lilith?”_

 _

“I am not trying to influence you! I ask only for information. Can we not have a civilized conversation? 

“Very well, we are going to America. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, you remember the map I showed you?”

_

I was quite proud of the speed with which I had grasped the concept of this “map” and the idea of travelling great distances by air. 

_“On an aircraft? A machine which flies?”_

_“Yes. That's right.”_

_“Mortals made this “aircraft?”_

_“Yes.....I keep telling you they, have made many great leaps forward in technology in the past few hundred years.”_

_“But you still sleep in a coffin, like the monsters in the fairy tales!”_

_“Now you know that's not true! This is only for travelling in, and it's far from a coffin anyway. How many coffins have internet access and bluetooth?”_

_“This is a method of communicating over great distances? I have seen this in your thoughts.”_

_“That's right.”_

I smiled to myself with satisfaction at my new knowledge. _“This country we are to visit, it is where you were born a mortal? Where you were turned a century and a half ago?”_

_“Yes that's right.”_

_“You have strength William, more than you should for your age. Too much to have come from your little fae friend.”_

He was silent for a moment, I had surprised him. _“You recognised that in her then?”_

So I was right! _“Oh yes, the power in you is not all ours though. It is like hers but not quite the same, much stronger. Where did you get it my friend?”_

_“Well that would have been from Mab.”_

For once I was shocked into silence. _“Mab? Queen Mab? The Winter Queen? She gifted you with the power of ice and fire? Why would she do that? Do you have any idea how many mortal men have begged Mab for power and died for it?”_

_“Ah, but I am not a mortal man am I? And besides they all wanted power for themselves and I did not.”_

I thought about this for a moment. _“Why would anyone want power for any other reason?”_

I felt William smile to himself. _“Oh Lily, somehow I just knew you would not understand that.”_

_“Oh my! I have an affectionate nickname now? You're falling for my charms at last William dear! I'm honoured you know. If Mab has gifted you with power as well then I'm in good company. So? Who was the power for if not yourself? Your lovely Alex perhaps?”_

_“It was for my daughter, Azaria. You have access to my memories, you know the story of how we found her and rescued her. Well, she was kidnapped by a group of men who wished to use her to do us harm. I knew where she was but I didn't have the strength to take her back from the vampire who guarded her so I asked Mab if she would help me. Since Azaria is her granddaughter, she agreed.”_

_“Very few vampires even know of Mab and even fewer would dare to ask her for favours. She must approve of you William.”_

This was another subject which I did not really understand.

_“Azaria now, you call her your child but she is not. You did not make her, you have never been a maker.”_

_“No she is not my child but I care for her as much as if she was.”_

_“But why?”_ I struggled to understand this. _“You did not even know her!”_

He paused for a moment, clearly trying to find a way to explain it. _“When I heard what had happened to her, how she had suffered, I felt sorry for her. Have you never felt compassion for anyone?”_ He paused again, waiting for a response. _“What about Berenice, she served you faithfully for two thousand years!”_

 _“She was the Guardian. It was her appointed task. There had been others before her, her maker Mekure, and there would be others after her. Though I admit I had become fond of her”_

_“Is there no one else that you care for?”_

I thought about this. _“There is you, William......”_

He seemed surprised at this admission. _“Me?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“What exactly do you feel for me?”_

_“I......I wish to protect you William. I know that you wish to continue your existence here and so if anyone were to try to do you harm I should destroy them.”_

He was silent, thinking about this. _“Okay.....well that's a start I suppose. When you say that you know how I feel, what you are feeling is empathy, being able to understand how others feel is a big part of being human, well done!”_

_“Don't patronise me William!”_

_“Now try to understand that I could empathise with Azaria, I could understand her pain and her fear and feel sorrow for it even though I did not know her at the time.”_

_I will consider this._ I left him then to sleep in peace. He had given me a lot to think about before we reached the New World.


	20. Chapter 20

I lay in the silent darkness of the travelling pod thinking over what William had said. I had seen the girl, Azaria, many times. The first time when I was watching over William, I recalled seeing her and Alex arriving at his house, running together into the building while he unloaded their bags from the car. I remembered that I had been curious about their relationship even then. She behaved towards him like a child to her maker but it was evident to me that she was many centuries older than him. I understood now that their relationship was that of maker and child, although he was not truly her maker. 

He had explained to me that she had been betrayed and abandoned by her maker Lazlo, although I struggled to understand why he would feel the need to take care of her. At first I had thought it was simply because Ulrich had requested it, but I soon realised that he was genuinely fond of her.

I tried to put myself in his position. If I had learned of her fate, would I have done what he did? Would I have made such an effort to find her and release her? Would I have been prepared to take on the commitment of caring for her? I had to admit that I doubted it, and yet he had.....

I knew from his memories that she was the granddaughter of Queen Mab, perhaps that was the link, he appeared somehow to be drawn to those with the fae blood. Although her maker Lazlo was also part fae and William's feelings towards him were perfectly clear. Had he perhaps agreed to care for Azaria in order to anger Lazlo? To exert kind of dominance over him by taking away his child? That was a motive I could have understood but I knew that William didn't think that way. As I relaxed, puzzling over this I felt a jolt and the smooth movement we had experienced for hours changed suddenly.

_“William! William, what's happening?”_

_“What? what's the matter?”_ his voice sounded slightly thick with sleep.

_“That's what I'm asking you!”_

He tapped a finger against something in his ear. _“Harry! Give me an update please!”_

The reply was faint and slightly hollow, as though it were coming from the bottom of a deep well.

“We've just landed in New York Mr Compton. We're taxiing to a private stand where you and your companions will be unloaded. You'll have half a dozen security guards with you and I'll supervise Miss Morgan and her friends and see that they clear immigration with no problems.”

_“Thank you Harry. There, you see, nothing to worry about. We've arrived.”_

_“We're in New York?”_

_“Yes.”_ I could feel his amusement. _“You're not excited surely? You've visited the New World before?”_

 _“Well yes....but....”_ It was almost impossible to explain. _“I've only seen the world as an incorporeal being, a disembodied spirit, now I can experience it so much more fully with you.”_

 _“Is there so much difference?”_ he asked curiously.

 _“Oh yes! It's......”_ I struggled to find a suitable analogy for him. _“It's like the difference between looking at a picture of a woman, not even that, a pencil drawing perhaps and then holding a woman in your arms, feeling the warmth and texture of her skin, the softness of her hair, the scent of her......”_

He was silent for a moment, thinking. _“So, when you were first incarnated in me....?”_

_“It was incredible! I had felt nothing like it in thousands of years. I had forgotten what it was like to feel, to touch, to smell. When I reached up and touched Berenice's skin I was almost overwhelmed completely with the sensation.”_

_“I had never thought of that”_ murmured William quietly. _“It must have been almost as much of a shock to you as it was to me.”_

I had never thought of this either. It had never occurred to me. For the first time I actually began to think about this, about how he must have felt. I recalled him telling me that existing in this world would change me, that interacting with others would change me. I had been furious at the time but now I began to see that he was right. Perhaps existing again in a body, even if it was not my own, was changing the way I thought. Was that possible? Or was it just William's influence? As I puzzled over these new and somewhat disturbing thoughts there was another jolt and suddenly we were swinging.

 _“It's okay, the pod's being unloaded that's all.”_ William's voice was soft and comforting.

_“......I knew that! I'm fine!”_

_“Good.”_ I could feel the indulgent smile in his cool voice.

After a few minutes of the unnerving motion the pod was still and I heard a slight tap on the outside. William reached over and unfastened the catch and the lid was raised by one of Ulrich's security guards. The pods had been placed on stands and William swung his legs out and stood up. He immediately made for one of the other pods which opened just as he reached it. Azaria smiled up at him as he took her hand and helped her out. I watched her as Gerry and Ulrich climbed out of their pods and came over to us. She seemed a little nervous and kept close to William but I could sense her excitement.

One of the security guards came over and spoke softly to Ulrich, gesturing to the doors leading into the main building.

“Right then!” he said. “The others will be here soon so let's wait somewhere more comfortable shall we?”

We headed through the doors into a large, pleasant room, scattered with comfortable chairs and sofas. There was a long bar at one end and Gerry headed that way, coming back in a moment or two with a tray holding several bottles of synthetic blood. William and Azaria thanked him and took one each. I found the slightly metallic taste disagreeable but it was better than nothing and William required the sustenance.

 _“So where are we going now?”_ I asked.

_“We’re going to The Lord Ruthven Hotel on the Upper West Side, overlooking Central Park._

_“It's named after Lord Ruthven? Who is he?”_

_“He's not a real person, he's a character in a short story by John Polidori. He was probably the first vampire to appear in English Literature. Some say he was based on Lord Byron.”_

_“So the hotel specialises in vampires? That's why it's named after one?”_

_“That's right, most of the new hotels that cater for us tend to be named after literary characters, Dracula, Lestat, Carmilla, that kind of thing. Either that or they have some reference to blood! Alex and I stayed in a Hotel chain in Egypt which was named after Osiris, the Egyptian God of the dead and the airline that the Authority lease the jets from is named after Anubis, the guardian of the dead. Very apt really.”_

“Ah! At last!” 

William looked up to see Ulrich coming over to us looking down at the phone in his hand.

“Is something wrong Ulrich?” he asked.

“No! Not at all. I've just got confirmation from the Authority's New York office that the Reception is set for tomorrow night” he answered with a smile. “Almost everyone they invited has confirmed that they'll be there, they don't want to miss the chance of meeting you Bill.”

Before I could ask exactly what this “Reception” would entail the doors opened and two security guards came in followed by Alex, Susie and a young man I didn't recognise. However Azaria certainly did. She gave an excited squeak and jumped up from the sofa where she had been sitting quietly beside William and flung herself into his arms.

“Dan! I thought you weren’t coming with us!” she cried happily.

“I managed to get leave at the last minute” he said, grinning at her obvious excitement.

Alex came over and gave Bill a hug. “Good flight?” she asked. 

“Yes, mostly” he said. “Lilith kept me talking for quite a while. Just questions…..she seems to be getting more interested in the modern world!” 

_“I was just curious!”_

She tucked her arm under his elbow and laid her head on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she whispered. “She’s not giving you a hard time?”

_“What? How dare she!”_

_“She's just concerned about me that's all.”_

“No, not at all. She’s just curious, which I can’t help thinking is a good thing. The more she learns about us the more likely it is that she’ll begin to understand us better.” He smiled down at her. “Come on, Ulrich’s arranged for cars to take us to the hotel. We’ve been waiting for you to clear immigration. All the bags are in the cars already.”

A convoy of vehicles was waiting outside in a private area surrounded by the familiar, black clad, security guards of the Authority. 

I left William and Alex to talk in the back of the car as we headed out across the city in a tight group with a blacked out security van in the lead. She was asking about the hotel but I was distracted by the lights of the city as we raced through the darkened streets until we pulled up before a large building.

Half a dozen security men poured out of the van and after a moment one came back out and spoke quietly to our driver, who got out of the car and opened the doors. “Everything checks out okay Sir” he said to Ulrich. 

“Excellent!” said Ulrich, turning to watch as William and Alex climbed out of the car after him. “Have our bags sent up will you?”

The other car had pulled up behind us and Azaria had jumped out and was looking around her wide-eyed with excitement. 

“I can’t believe I’m actually in New York!” she said, practically twitching with excitement. “Oh Bill, can we go and explore later?”

“I’m going to be far too busy I’m afraid!” answered William with a smile. “ We have meetings set up later to arrange a schedule but you and Dan can go and look around if you like, on one condition.” Azaria’s face fell instantly. “You must take a couple of security guards with you.”

“Oh must we, really?” she whined.

“Yes, you absolutely must!” said William firmly. “It’s well known that I consider you to be as dear to me as if you were my own progeny. Anyone who wishes to get to me need only threaten to harm you. Please Azaria, do this for me?”

The young man, who I assumed must be Dan, put his hand on her arm. “He’s right. You know he is” he said. “I couldn’t protect you against a couple of humans back in Oxford that time. I’d have no chance at all against vampires!”

She sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Okay, we’ll take some security.”

 _“What did he mean by that?”_ I asked as we headed into the foyer.

_“You remember that I told you how Azaria was kidnapped back in Oxford?”_

_“Oh yes.......that was when you got involved with Mab?”_

_“That's right. Well Dan was with her. He tried to fight them off but there were too many of them. He was injured and left for dead when they took her. But fortunately we were able to find her.”_

So he was another one. This Dan had risked himself for William's daughter. I would have to think about this later. _“I thought you said there was a vampire involved? Why would he use humans to take her?”_

_“Oh, it was complicated. They were kidnapping girls for him during the day while he slept. He was a nasty piece of work, actually you might know him. He was associated in some way with Darius Ashman, his name was Clovis, it was from him that Ulrich got the information about Darius's group.”_

_“Clovis? What does he look like?”_

There was a pause and then I was standing in what appeared to be an old warehouse. It took me a moment to realise that I was inside William's memory. A man lay on his face on the stone floor and, with a slight shock I saw that Azaria was crouched on top of him, one hand twisted in his hair. He lay still, obviously terrified.

Before him on the floor lay a crippled vampire, he was trying to pull himself across the floor with his hands but his back was obviously broken and his legs dragged uselessly behind him. I recognised him, I had seen him at Darius's house but never knew his name. A shadow appeared beside the half-open door and William came in. 

He smiled at Azaria “You okay?” he asked.

“Fine!” She said grimly. “He's not going anywhere!”

He turned to Clovis who was now lying still and looking up at him with furious eyes. 

“It's not too late Compton” he said. “You could still help me, I could make it worth your while.” William simply stood silently watching him and I realised with horror that he had done this, he had crippled Clovis. This was what Mab's strength had been used for. I could sense from his mind the barely suppressed fury that he felt at Clovis's actions. He had killed several innocent human girls and had several more imprisoned here which William had released. He had intended to murder Azaria and blame the deaths on her. William could have killed him easily, but I knew that was not what he wanted, he didn't want him dead, he wanted him to pay! He wanted him to be punished!

“You can't really mean to hand me over to the mortal authorities? You would betray your own kind?”

“Why not?” asked William. “That's what you have done. You have made a point of showing mortals the very worst, the darkest part of our natures. Why should I care what happens to you?”

“They haven't arrived yet” said Clovis quietly “It's not too late to change your mind. No-one could blame you. No-one would believe that you could have defeated me. Help me escape! I can give you whatever you want, women, money, power, anything you want.”

William took a step towards him and squatted down beside him on the filthy concrete floor. He smiled sadly. “You have nothing that I want, and what I want, you could never give me” he said softly. “I have had to find it for myself.” He stared down at Clovis for a moment longer and then walked out without another word.

 _“What happened to him?”_ I asked softly, barely aware that we were ascending in an elevator.

_“He was handed over the The Authority. The humans didn't have the facilities to deal with him. Ulrich managed to get the information about Darius out of him but beyond that I neither know, nor care.”_

_“A little severe don't you think?”_ I hazarded.

 _“We're fighting a war here Lily”_ he said harshly. _“Not the one you had in mind, but one where the stakes are just as high. We need the humans to understand us, to believe us. They need to trust us to deal with creatures like Clovis ourselves. If we lose this war we will be wiped out just as surely as if we tried to take them on directly!”_

I was silent. This was a side of him I had never seen before. It appeared that, despite his gentle nature he was quite capable of taking hard decisions, even of inflicting severe damage on one of his own kind in order to protect those he cared about.


	21. Chapter 21

The suite we had been allocated was one of four penthouse suites on the top floor. As we entered I saw a small foyer and three shallow steps leading down into the main room. Directly in front of us were two large windows and William walked over to one and looked out. I could see the lights of the city spread out in the distance but directly in front of the hotel was an area of what appeared to be woodland. In the centre of the city?

 _“What is that?”_ I asked, surprised.

 _“That's Central Park”_ he explained. _“It's about 800 acres of parkland created in the 1860's when the city was being laid out.”_

He turned to watch Alex exploring the suite. She had jumped up onto one of the two enormous beds.

“Wow!” she said excitedly. “A whole bed each!”

William put his arms around her. “Oh no you don’t Miss!” he murmured . I didn’t bring you all this way so that you could sleep in a separate bed!” 

_“The very idea!”_

_“She was joking!”_

He sat down beside her on the bed and she looked up at him seriously.

“Does this mean I’ll have to take security guards with me if I want to go out exploring, or to do a little shopping?” she asked.

“I’m afraid so yes” he answered. “The Authority has put out quite a lot of publicity about this visit and not every vampire agrees with their goals as you well know! Ulrich has insisted that security is tight. I think he’s afraid that if anything happened to you I’d stop at nothing to get you back, that I’d simply kill anything that stood in my way, and with Lilith’s strength they wouldn’t be able to stop me. The bad publicity would be disastrous!”

She lifted her hand and began to stroke his thick dark hair. “And would you?” she asked quietly.

There was a long pause and I waited, intrigued, for his answer. “Yes” he whispered. “I’m afraid I probably would.”

_“Interesting.....”_

He sighed. _“What now?”_

_“You're such an enigma to me do you know that? In some ways you're so weak and in others so strong. You would never think of using my strength to increase your personal power and influence or to get your own way and yet you would not hesitate to use it to protect a mortal.”_

_“And why do you suppose that is?”_ he asked quietly.

_“Because you're a foolish romantic?”_

I could feel his smile. _“Try again.”_

I sighed. _“Okay....... because you love her!”_ I couldn't keep the sarcasm out of my tone.

_“There! Now is that so hard to believe? You of all people should know what she has done for me.”_

_“Oh I know! I haven't forgiven her yet!”_ I thought for a moment. _“You said that Dan had been hurt trying to protect Azaria?”_

_“Yes, that's right. There were about five of them, they threw a silver net over her and then beat him to the ground. He was knocked unconscious but as soon as he came round he told the police what had happened and gave them my name, obviously hoping that I'd be able to do something to help.”_

_“Which you did!”_

_“Well yes......but I had help fortunately.”_

_“But why would he do that, risk himself for her. Was that because he loves her?”_

_“I'd like to think so. He's certainly very fond of her. Some men are like that, they feel they need to protect their women.....a little old fashioned maybe but I can hardly fault him for that now can I?”_

_“But he must be aware that she's far stronger than him surely?”_

He laughed _“Of course he is! He's not stupid. Besides, his brother Chris is dating my old friend Claudia so he knew exactly what he was getting into. I guess his protective instinct just cut in!”_

I thought about this while William explained to Alex about the Reception which Ulrich had arranged for tomorrow night. She seemed horrified at the thought and immediately began planning a shopping expedition. William calmed her down and suggested a nice relaxing bath.

About ten minutes later we were lying in an enormous semi-circular bath soaking in the hot water, William talking idly to Alex and gently stroking her stomach. She was lying against him, her head on his shoulder. She had poured some kind of scented oil into the bath and her skin felt slippery under William's hand. I relaxed as Alex began to rub soap into his skin until suddenly I heard my name mentioned

“Lilith showed me a memory” he said softly. “A memory of you washing me in the shower at Darius's house.”

There was a pause in the gentle stroking. “You didn't remember that?” she asked quietly.

“No” he answered. “Those few days are almost a complete blank, still. I don't think I want to remember. But she showed me that.” 

I remembered what he was talking about, we had been in the shower and I had wanted to demonstrate her fear of him. I knew that this image had hurt him and I felt a little ashamed of my actions now.

He turned and looked into her eyes. “I saw you kneeling at my feet, cleaning the blood off my legs. I could see the fear in your eyes.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently at first and then harder, more passionately. “Promise me something” he murmured. If anything should happen, if I should become .........dangerous, promise me you'll stay away this time. I couldn't bear to see that again, to know that I had hurt you would kill me Alex.”

What was this? He'd just finished telling me how much he loved her and owed her for what she had done for him and now he was warning her off? He knew she was probably the only person who had the ability to help him hold me back and yet he still told her to stay away.

_“Why on earth would you say that?”_

_“Not now!”_

“Okay, I promise.” She said.

Even I could hear the insincerity in her voice! Surely William realised that she didn't mean it?

 _“Why would you want her to stay away?”_ Why was I even asking this? I'd have a much better chance if she stayed away! My curiosity would be the death of me!

I could feel William's anger at my persistence. I felt him take a grip on himself. _“Because I don't want to hurt her! Can you try and understand that? As I said, to know that I had hurt her would kill me!”_

He pulled her closer and kissed her again, lifting her up on top of him, massaging the slippery bath oils into her skin, moving his hands over their slippery bodies shifting slightly to allow his iron hard member to slide up into her. I let myself relax into his mind, soaking up his pleasure in her.

Several hours later I was totally relaxed as flashes of the last few hours presented themselves for examination. William and Alex lay on the tangled sheets, their bodies locked together, entwined and exhausted. He had held back, teasing and stroking her until I wondered how he could possibly stand it. His arousal was so intense that I expected him to take her roughly, savagely even but he did not. To my astonishment he was gentle as always and moved slowly and tenderly until she screamed and pleaded for more.

They were kneeling upright on the bed, William holding her tightly in his arms, her head laid back on his shoulder, when the alarm on his phone began to sound. I could feel the rumbling in his chest as he growled and snarled over her naked body and then a deep pulsing surge of pleasure poured through me at his climax.

They lay in each others arms for a few minutes while the shrilling of the alarm grew louder and more insistent.

“Will you please turn that thing off!” muttered Alex weakly, pulling the quilt up over her body.

William reached over to the table and picked up the phone, seconds later the infuriating noise stopped.

_“Oh thank you!”_

“I'm afraid this means I have to leave” he said, nuzzling gently at Alex's recumbent body. 

“That's okay” she murmured sleepily, you've worn me out completely you.......animal you!” She smiled up at him and he leaned down to kiss her gently before heading across the suite for his clothes. By the time he was dressed and ready for his meeting she was fast asleep. He smiled down at her for a moment before slipping quietly out of the suite and pulling the door closed gently behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

Ulrich and Gerry were already seated in the large office provided by the hotel for our use when William arrived and moments later the door opened again and two vampires walked in, escorted by one of Ulrich's security guards.

“Good evening Herr Von Schroeder” said the guard. “This is Anneke de Vries, media relations advisor to Gustaaf Van Straten the King of New York and Jeroen Meyer his press secretary.”

_“Media Relations Advisor!”_

_“I've told you before that things are very different now. A vampire in his position has a public image to keep up. Besides, you can't expect him to make all the arrangements himself......he is the King after all!”_

William sat down at the head of the large table in the middle of the office as Ulrich rose to greet the newcomers. The woman was tall and blond, dressed in an elegant silk suit and clearly very sure of herself. Her companion was dark with a short, neatly trimmed beard and he gave Ulrich a polite nod of greeting.

“Herr Von Schroeder.” His eyes slid across the table to where William sat, silent, but he said nothing. Gerry had moved to stand behind William's shoulder and watched as Ulrich pulled out a chair for Ms de Vries. He introduced everyone and I noticed both the New Yorkers' eyes sliding back to William every few moments. By now I was used to the differing reactions we received from other vampires. They varied from unthinking worship to stark disbelief. William tended to hold himself slightly aloof from discussions of this type and let Ulrich handle the details. I had come to understand that this was a technique that they had arranged between them.

Meyer, the press secretary, reached into his briefcase and brought out a list of everyone who had so far accepted their invitation to the Reception. Ulrich looked over the list and approved it.

“Hmmm...two Magisters! We're highly honoured!” He grinned at William who smiled back pleasantly and asked. “Which two?” 

“Europe and North America” answered Ulrich glancing back down at the list.

 _“So who are they?”_ I asked curiously.

_“Olivier Bertrand and Jorje Alonso de San Diego. I've met them both before, Olivier is pleasant enough but Jorje is a nasty piece of work in my opinion.”_

He turned back to Ulrich. “Which Monarchs will be attending?”

Ulrich ran a finger down the list. “New York, obviously, Illinois and Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Oklahoma have all confirmed. There are one or two others from the east coast states who will probably turn up. 

He turned to the two newcomers. “Anything else we should know?”

They exchanged a brief glance. “The usual. The Fellowship of the Sun are organising demonstrations both here and at the venue but our security can deal with them, they've been thoroughly briefed.”

There was some more casual talk but it appeared that Ulrich was satisfied with the arrangements and after some more polite conversation the two representatives of the New York Monarch left with Gerry accompanying them.

William turned to Ulrich again. “I told Alex and Azaria that they were not to leave the hotel without security. Does that apply to me as well?”

“Most certainly!” he answered sharply. “Why? Where do you want to go?”

“I'd like to get a gift for Alex, some jewellery perhaps, something she could wear to the Reception.”

He thought for a moment. “I'll arrange for someone to contact some of the Jewellers on Fifth Avenue and bring some in for you to look at.”

So William and I spent a pleasant few hours examining some very beautiful jewellery. Rather to my annoyance he refused to listen to my advice and insisted on choosing a matching bracelet and ring himself. We returned to the suite near dawn to find Alex still sleeping peacefully. William stripped off his clothing and slid into the bed beside her carefully, so as not to wake her and drifted off into his daytime sleep.

He woke at dusk to see Alex sitting up against the headboard reading a book. As his eyes moved over her I felt a jolt of arousal run through his body like a lightning strike. She was wearing what appeared to be a slip of transparent fabric trimmed with black lace which was clearly not designed either for warmth or indeed comfort!

“Well good evening Miss Morgan” he drawled, his eyes moving over the pale skin clearly visible beneath the lace.

“Good evening Mr Compton” she replied politely. “Did you sleep well?”

“Very well indeed thank you.” he replied equally politely. “I take it that you've been shopping? I feel sure I'd remember that outfit if I'd ever seen it before!”

She looked down at him with a frankly seductive smile. “Yes, Susie and I had a very successful day thank you.”

“I can see that!” he said. “I hope you bought something a little more.......conservative for the party? Not that I don't find that outfit quite charming mind you.” he added quickly.

I didn't know about charming, he was certainly finding it highly arousing! Before she could react he had flipped her onto the bed on her back and was crouching over her, his mouth fastened on her breast. The skimpy nightdress was held together over her breasts with a silk ribbon. William's mouth closed over the ribbon and he began to tug at it. I felt his growl of satisfaction as the ribbon parted and the garment fell open revealing her warm bare flesh.

 _“William.”_ I whispered.

_“Not now please!”_

_“William please! Let me join you......”_

_“What? Now?”_

_“Oh please William......allow me to share this pleasure with you?”_

Alex pushed her hand down between their bodies and I felt William's groan of pleasure as she curled her fingers around his stiff member and began to stroke the cool, soft skin, squeezing him gently but firmly in her hand. 

_“Please William”_ I begged. _“I won't interfere I promise I just want to share this with you.”_

He leaned forward, resting his forehead gently against hers for a moment.

_“Very well.....but you will do nothing, understand me? Nothing that would let Alex know you are with me!”_

_“I promise!”_

I felt him relax and suddenly I was back, my consciousness flowing out of his mind like water, pouring into his body. I could feel everything, the tense muscles of his thighs as he crouched over Alex's prone body, the touch of her warm skin against his, the tight, urgent heat of his erection. Just as I had when he allowed me this freedom to join him on the motorcycle I felt an urge to act, to take over. I had not done it the first time as I didn't know what to do, but I was sure I could cope with this! But even as this thought occurred to me I paused. I had no idea how Alex would react if she discovered that he had allowed me to share his pleasure in her body but I was pretty sure that she wouldn't be happy with him. He trusted me! He had cared for me and helped me despite my actions. I found that, strangely, I wanted to be worthy of his trust and so I remained quiet and unobtrusive as William made love to Alex. But this time, instead of merely being aware of his pleasure, it was as though I felt it myself, I was William, his pleasure was mine as well.


	23. Chapter 23

Afterwards they lay limp in each other's arms, both completely relaxed. “We should be getting ready for the party” murmured Alex drowsily.

“Speaking of the party….there’s something I think we should do first” whispered William softly into her ear.

It was obvious that Alex thought she knew what it was, and I thought the same, but we were both wrong.

He smiled down at her. “What I was thinking was……it might be a good idea for you to drink from me before we go out tonight.”

_“What? Why?”_

Alex evidently had the same idea as she pulled away from him and sat up. “What! Why would you suggest that? I haven’t had your blood since……..well, since before……” she faltered to a stop for a moment. “Why now? and why risk it after what happened the last time?”

He lay back against the pillows, considering. “Well as to why…..you need it to reinforce the bond.” He took her hand between both of his and lifted it to his lips. “I need to be able to feel you, to know that you’re safe or……if you’re in danger. As to why now, well…..I’m always a little twitchy bringing you into the company of other vampires, particularly those I don’t know. I can’t imagine that anyone would dare to try to take you from me, but I can’t be too careful.” He kissed her hand. 

_“Really William"_ I murmured lazily, _"surely no-one would dare, not after what we did to Darius.”_

_“The vampires here will have heard the story, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll believe it!”_

He gazed down at Alex. “I almost lost you once. I swear I will never lose you again!” He reached down and drew his fingertip down her cheek. “As for what happened last time, my blood is very much more powerful now and I was not fully in control of myself at the time, I only knew that I wanted to help you. You were injured, badly. The pain you felt when you took that drop of blood was your body healing itself too fast. You shouldn’t take too much, only a mouthful, but I think we should do this.”

 _“Wait! Do you mean that was you! I gave her the blood!”_ I **had** given her the blood but even as I spoke I realised that I hadn't been sure why.....

He lay down on his back and pulled her closer, encouraging her to get on top of him and she swung herself astride his hips, leaning forward to kiss the base of his throat. I felt him shudder at the touch of her lips and suddenly I understood at least part of the reason why he wanted this. I could feel his swollen flesh pressing urgently against her buttocks as she bit down into his throat. 

William's body convulsed at the sudden pain and then I was swept away by the intensity of his rapture. His hands moved downwards, lifting her up and then pulling her body down onto his swollen manhood. She gave a little cry which was instantly smothered by the taste of his blood as she rode him through his bucking twisting climax until he dragged all three of us over the edge of ecstasy with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I came to to find them lying limp in each other’s arms for the second time. “We really should be getting ready for the party this time” she said.

William rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. “I am getting ready. I need to be relaxed and you relax me more than anything else!” He leaned down and kissed her, lightly, his lips just brushing across hers.

“You might be ready but I’m certainly not. I need to take a shower” she said, wriggling out of his arms and getting up.

He brightened up immediately. “I’ll join you!” he smiled enthusiastically.

Alex evidently didn't think was a good idea and slipped into the bathroom leaving William laughing in the rumpled bed. 

He took a shower after she had finished and when he came out of the bathroom she was gone. I sensed him feeling for her though the bond and knew that she was nearby He relaxed and began to get dressed and, while he was tying his tie, the door opened. He turned around and I felt him freeze as he gazed at her.

She stood at the top of the three shallow steps, just inside the door to the suite and I guessed she had asked her friend to help her put on her new purchase as it was obvious from William's reaction that he had never seen this dress before. It was a deep, rich, dark red, the heavy satin gleaming in the light of the lamps. It had a medieval look to it with a square, low cut neck and a tight bodice, fitted down to the hips. The skirt had a flat panel at the front and was full at the back, overlaid with a fine black net. The bodice was encrusted with tiny crystals and the long wide sleeves hung down almost to her fingertips. Her long black hair fell in loose curls over her shoulders and a great ruby hanging from a thick gold chain lay on the swell of her breasts.

William was gazing at her, his mouth slightly open to accommodate the fact that his fangs had run fully out in involuntary arousal. I could feel other parts of his body lengthening at the same time and I realised that I could sense his thoughts. Images began to form in my mind, images of Alex's pale naked flesh spread face down across the bed behind us, the dress ripped down the crystal encrusted bodice, torn from her body and discarded on the floor. William's hand in the small of her back, holding her down as he thrust himself into her with a deep groan of pure pleasure. Alex on her hands and knees before him, his fingers tangled in her long dark hair, his hips working frantically. He blinked and shook himself and the images faded away.

_“Oh! You are such a bore William! I was enjoying that….you had some interesting ideas there, could we try them sometime?”_

_“Go away!”_ He muttered and smiled rather guiltily at Alex.

“Do you like it?” she asked hesitantly. “Red isn't wrong for some reason is it?”

“No! No of course not!” he simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from the ruby burning against her pale flesh. “I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life!” he said. “You look amazing, stunning!”

She smiled at him and I felt an uncomfortable throbbing in his dress trousers. 

“I did some shopping of my own while you were asleep last night.” He said. “I bought a gift for you, I wanted you to look perfect tonight but now I see it was totally unnecessary. You couldn't possibly look any more perfect than you do now.”

He picked up the long velvet box from the bedside table and handed it to her. “But you should have it anyway.”

She opened the box and took out the bracelet. “Oh it's beautiful Bill. I love it! Help me put it on?” she said excitedly.

 _“What happened to the ring?”_ I asked, puzzled.

_“I.......I can't, not now......later perhaps."_

He carefully fastened the bracelet around her wrist and she held out her arm, examining it from several angles. 

“It's perfect!” she said. Then a little frown appeared on her face. “Why do I need to look perfect tonight particularly?” She asked, slightly suspiciously.

I watched in amusement as he tried to explain, carefully and without frightening her, who exactly would be at the Reception tonight and that she would be at his side, as his consort.

He swept Alex into the elevator before she had a chance to change her mind, his arm around her reassuring her that everything would be okay. On the way down William began to draw on my power to change the colour of his skin in swirling patterns on his face and hands.

_“Do you think that will be necessary?”_

_“Better to remove all doubt as soon as possible, don't you think?”_

We joined the others in the foyer and set off for the Reception.


	24. Chapter 24

It appeared that Ulrich had arranged for us to be the last to arrive as the long, elegant ballroom was busy as we entered. The buzz of voices hushed and every head turned in our direction. We walked across the ballroom with Ulrich, heading for a large, heavily build man whom I assumed, from his confident stance and the group of vampires clustered around him, to be the King of New York. Alex walked calmly alongside William. I could hear the pounding of her heart and feel, through William's hand on her arm, her fast, panicky pulse, but you would not have known this to look at her. There was a long mirror on one wall and I watched our reflections, William elegant and alert with Alex alongside him, slender and dark with her head high as they crossed the floor, every eye on them.

I began to realise that my perception of her was changing. Initially she had merely been an annoyance to me. Even when I began to accept her I thought of her only in relation to William's bed, as a vessel for his seed, a partner for his pleasure. As I watched the reflection I suddenly saw her as a person in her own right. Someone who had been ripped out of her life and thrown into something for which she was completely unprepared, but she had accepted this because of William, because of what she felt for him, because she loved him. 

_“You're finally beginning to understand aren't you?”_

_“She reflects well on you William. Your public image is important and she makes a fine consort.......you have chosen well.”_

Ulrich introduced us to his Majesty Gustaaf Van Straten the King of New York, a huge bear of a man who smiled broadly at William and showered florid compliments on both Alex and Azaria, chatting comfortably until we were joined by the two Magisters. The group of us made polite conversation for a while until the two Magisters excused themselves and his Majesty kissed Alex's hand and moved off to be introduced to some other group.

William had just suggested that they go and get some drinks when Ulrich approached with another couple. I felt William tense as he saw them and examined them more carefully. They were a handsome couple, both tall and blonde.

“May I present her Majesty, Freyda, the Queen of Oklahoma” said Ulrich formally. “Together with her new consort.” There was a pause while William and the Queen's new consort glared at each other.

“Eric” said Bill calmly.

“Bill” he replied with a nod.

_“You know him?”_

_“Unfortunately, yes!”_

William turned back to Freyda with a smile. “It is an honour to meet you your Majesty.”

“You too your Excellency” she said. “And your charming companion. I gather that you and Eric are already acquainted?” she said.

“Yes indeed” replied William. “I was born in Louisiana and returned there for a while after the Revelation.”

“Oh! I see” she said. “Well I’ll leave you for a moment. I’m sure you will have plenty to talk about.” She took Ulrich’s arm firmly and steered him away. 

William and Eric watched her walk away and then turned to each other and squared up like a pair of fighting dogs.

Ten minutes later William and Alex walked away, heading back to the rest of their party who were standing by the bar watching them.

_“Okay.......so are you going to tell me what that was all about?”_

_“It's a long story!”_

_“So give me the edited highlights!”_

He sighed. _“I met a girl in my home town, when I returned there after the Revelation. I was sent by my Queen to investigate her, she was part fae, like Alex, but when I met her I...........I fell in love. I hadn't thought that I could ever fall in love.......she was.....it was like a miracle.”_ He blinked and shook his head. _“Eric met her and....took her from me. He tricked her into taking his blood to form a blood bond. Forced me to admit what I had kept from her for fear of losing her....that I had been sent to find her. And she left me for him....that's really all there is to say!”_

_“She was yours?”_

_“Yes”_

_“And he knew this?”_

_“Yes”_

_“That goes against all custom! Could you not have reported him to your sheriff?”_

_“He **was** the sheriff!”_

_“He abused his position to steal your woman?”_

_“Yes”_

_“And you're on first name terms with this weasel?”_

_“On the rare occasions that we meet.”_

_“He did not believe in me did he?”_

_“No.....Eric has never really believed in anything except Eric!”_

_“But he does now?”_

There was a definite trace of satisfaction in his final thoughts. _“Oh yes......he certainly does now!”_

He reached down and took Alex's hand, entwining his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry about that” he murmured as we walked away.

“It’s okay” she said. “I know you’re not the best of friends!” 

So she knew about this other vampire? Presumably this meant that she also knew about this other woman. Her next words confirmed this.

“What will she do?” she asked.

William answered her readily enough. He didn't seem entirely comfortable with the subject but it was obviously not the first time they had discussed her.“Sam has always been very fond of her, he’ll take care of her, and she has many friends. A lot of them kept away because of Eric but they’ll come back.”

We strolled over to the bar where Gerry was ordering drinks. When he saw William approaching the barman reached for an elegant looking blue glass bottle. 

“Wow!” said Gerry. “Is that Royalty Blend?”

“It was ordered in specially for you and your party your Excellency” said the barman with a smile pouring a couple of glasses. Gerry picked one up and took a sip. “Oh boy.......this is magnificent!” he murmured.

William picked up the other glass and handed it politely to Azaria. The barman hurriedly poured another for him.

“What's this “Your Excellency” stuff?” asked Alex.

He shrugged. “Who knows?” he said. “Practically everyone here has a title of some sort. I guess they thought I should have one as well.”

Gerry grinned. “Shows a proper deference for your exalted position” he said cheerfully.

William picked up his glass with a smile and took a sip.

_“Oh that is delicious! What is it?”_

_“It's a special blend of rare bloods, mostly obtained, at outrageous expense, from European royalty.”_

_“This is so much better than that synthetic rubbish! You should insist that the Authority provide you with a supply.”_

_“Well.....perhaps a small supply.”_

We stood at the bar gossiping amongst ourselves for a while. I was concentrating on something that Ulrich was saying when I became aware that William's attention was elsewhere. His eyes were on Alex who was at the bar talking to a strange human male. She glanced back at him and smiled and I felt him relax. The dark stranger gave her a dazzling smile. 

“Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sascha, I am companion to her Majesty Francesca de Luca of Illinois” he lowered his voice and glanced around to see all of us watching him, however he seemed unconcerned by our observation. “But I have to stay out of the way when she is with her husband!”

Alex laughed. “Yes, I would imagine you do!” She said, holding out her hand to him. “I am Alexandra, companion to His Excellency William Compton, the vessel of the Goddess.” He took her hand and bowed deeply and theatrically over it. 

“Where are you from Sascha?” she asked, since one of the most noticeable things about him was his beautiful, richly accented voice. “I arrived in America three years ago from St Petersburg” he explained. Perhaps you will permit me to buy you a drink?”

At this point I began to think that both William and Gerry were losing patience with his florid compliments.

He leaned back with his elbows on the bar and turned to the barman to order a whisky.

“Shouldn’t you be drinking Vodka?” asked Gerry, slightly sourly.

Sascha looked him over, suspiciously. “Shouldn’t you be wearing a long black opera cloak and taking in a middle European accent?” he asked.

Susie and Alex both giggled. “Touché” said Susie.

Gerry tried to look annoyed but one look at Susie’s face was enough to have him giggling as well.

“Okay, you’ve got me there!” he said with a smile. “I’m Gerry, and this is Mr Compton to whom you owe an apology for attempting to chat up his girlfriend!”

Sascha’s eyebrows shot up into his wavy black hair. “Not at all, I was merely being polite!” he said in an offended tone. “After all we are both in a similar position, being the human partner of a high ranking vampire.” He turned to William and bowed politely, “your Excellency!”

William smiled. “He has a point there Gerry” he said. “Besides, since we are to visit Chicago he may be able to provide us with some useful information.”

“Oh indeed!” said Sascha with a broad grin. “I am a terrible gossip!”

Ulrich looked around and gave William a look which said clearly “we should go somewhere more private”. William gave a little nod and slipped an arm around Alex's shoulders and directed her out onto the terrace where we settled down on three couches arranged in a semi circle around a low table.

_“So who is this man exactly?”_

_“Well, from what he's told us I'm assuming that he's probably Queen Francesca's human lover.”_

_“This is quite common then? To take a human lover?”_

_“Well yes I suppose it is.”_

_“Why?”_

I felt him smile to himself. _“Probably because we're almost impossible to live with ourselves and we don't have the patience to deal with each other!”_

I considered this for a moment. _“Yes, I can see that. With a human you always know who is the more powerful, with another vampire one would always be trying to overpower the other.”_

_“Quite. Very well reasoned in fact.”_

I turned my attention back to the dark man, Sascha, who was talking about an associate of her Majesty who had come originally from England. She had been turned several hundred years ago as a young woman of about sixteen.

“I think you would like her” said Sascha to Alex. “ She is about your size, tiny, but fierce!” His dark eyes flashed with amusement.

“And what role does she play in the Queen’s inner circle?” asked William with a smile.

“Oh she is an advisor” said Sascha airily, “the Queen has been consulting her recently because of her knowledge of witchcraft.”


	25. Chapter 25

There was silence for a moment. Witchcraft? Suddenly the conversation had turned dangerous. 

“Why has she needed to consult her?” asked Ulrich quietly. 

The three vampires stared at Sascha who looked rather embarrassed. “Ah! It’s nothing!” he said “just a rumour.”

“A rumour of……” prompted Ulrich.

Sascha sighed and glanced around the terrace. “Okay, but you didn’t hear this from me!” he muttered in a low voice. “Francesca began hearing rumours a few weeks ago that a woman, a human woman had moved into our territory. A witch, calling herself Lucilla. We didn’t pay much attention until we heard that she practised necromancy.”

The vampires froze instantly. “What?” whispered Alex turning to William. “Why is that important?” 

_“She doesn't know about witches?”_ I asked.

_“It appears not. It's never come up before.”_

“You know what that is?” he murmured to her.

“Well” she hesitated for a moment, apparently unsure, “it’s…..raising the dead. Isn’t it? Why is that a problem?”

“Necromancers strive to obtain power over the dead” said William. “Think about this Alex……if she can control the dead, then she can control us!”

Everyone stared at Sascha. “We can’t cancel the visit” said Ulrich. “All the arrangements are in place, to cancel now would be an unimaginable insult!”

“We’ll just have to be extremely careful” said William.

“Well, it’s only a rumour after all!” said Gerry. “We don’t know that this woman has any real power at all, that she is even a sorcerer let alone a necromancer. Maybe she just likes dancing around naked!”

Sascha let out a great bellow of laughter and William and Ulrich glared at them both disapprovingly. “Oh, come on!” said Gerry. “I’m just trying to lighten the atmosphere a little.”

Ulrich smiled. “Well, I guess we'll just have to see what happens” he said.

_“This witch, will she be a problem?”_

_“I have no idea! As Gerry said, we don't even know for sure that she is a witch. Or that, if she is, she would have the slightest interest in us.”_

I thought for a moment. _“The Kings and Queens that are here tonight, they are the leaders of our people in this country, is that correct?”_

_“Well technically, yes. They each rule their own territory but are appointed by the Authority.”_

_“And who appoints them?”_

_“I have no idea. I imagine that the Authority appoints new Chancellors as they are required......”_

I looked up to see that Ulrich had got up and was looking out into the main ballroom. William followed his eyes and sighed patiently.

“Let's get this over with” said Ulrich gesturing through the double doors of the terrace to where two men stood in close conversation. One was small and slim but carried himself with the assurance of great age and power. The other was taller and had an air of determination about him. William recognised both.

_“Who are they?”_

_“Russell Edgington, King of Mississippi and Felipe de Casto, King of Nevada. He also took over both Louisiana and Arkensas after the deaths of my Queen, Sophie-Anne and her husband, Peter Threadgill.”_

He put out his hand to help Alex to her feet and we walked over to them.

_“How is it that he has three territories?”_

_“A good question.”_

“How is it that de Castro has managed to get away with taking over Louisiana and Arkensas?” he asked Ulrich casually.

“It's not something I've ever enquired about” he answered quietly. “It's none of my business since I'm not one of the US Chancellors. I would imagine that in the chaos after the summit meeting in Rhodes they felt that they had enough to occupy them and were just relieved that someone was prepared to take over the running of the vacant states.” 

_“Hmm.....It seems to me to be dangerous to give too much power to one man. You should not permit this.”_

“Lilith does not approve!” he said. 

Ulrich glanced at him and gave him a look which said clearly, “don't mention it.” 

We paused a little way away and Ulrich said “wait here” and strolled casually over to the two Kings. William slipped his arm around Alex's waist and smiled down at her. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Oh I'm fine” she said. “How about you? What's happened between you and these guys?”

“What makes you think anything has happened?”

She laughed softly. “Bill, I can feel the tension in your arm, never mind through the bond!”

_“She's very perceptive. Do not fear them William, they cannot harm you, not now that I am with you.”_

Ulrich was approaching with Edgington and de Castro. He stopped in front of us and turned to them. “I believe you have both met Mr Compton previously?” 

“Yes indeed” said Russell, ignoring William and taking Alex's hand. “But not his charming companion!” He bent to kiss her hand and I noticed him pause and sniff at her curiously, he could sense the fae blood! This could be dangerous.

“This is Alexandra Morgan” said Ulrich. “Alexandra, this is his Majesty Russell Edgington, the King of Mississippi.”

“I'm very pleased to meet you your Majesty” said Alex calmly and politely. Russell glanced up at William and I caught his eye. I stared out into his mind for a moment.

_“This one is arrogant William, he believes himself to be better than others, including you, because of his age.”_

_“Well I could have told you that myself!”_

“Russell” he said briefly, giving him a nod. From his expression he did not consider it sufficiently obsequious.

Ulrich gestured at Felipe. “And this is his Majesty Felipe de Castro, King of Nevada, Louisiana and Arkensas” he said.

Alex smiled as he kissed her hand. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Felipe bowed politely to Alex and then turned to William. “Indeed I have met Mr Compton before” he said coldly. “He was one of my subjects in Louisiana. In fact he left without asking my permission or even notifying his sheriff.” 

_“Oh William! This one is even more arrogant than the other! He should be made to understand my power!”_

William smiled at him. “I didn't feel that it was necessary at the time, and anyway, we are far beyond that now.” He leaned towards him a little. “You may dislike me personally Felipe.......” his eyes flew wide with shock at the familiar use of his personal name rather than his title “.......but you will show me the respect due to the Goddess.”

_“Keep your eyes on his William. Hold his gaze!”_

He gave a cynical little smile and I could see that these two were among those Eric had mentioned, those who did not believe in the resurrection of the Goddess. Well, they would learn. William stared him down. I focussed on De Castro's eyes and, after a moment, they went blank as my power drove into his mind. I felt him struggling weakly against me.

_“You would dare defy your Goddess?”_

He gazed blankly at William, open mouthed as my voice echoed in his head and I forced my way into his memories, deliberately demonstrating to him his helplessness against me. I felt Edgington turning to look at him, but I held him and he was unable to tear his eyes away from William. After a few more seconds I released him and William turned away. He staggered for a moment and took Russell's arm. 

_“He believes now my friend!”_

As we strolled back towards the bar, I could feel the eyes of everyone following us as we went and sensed that a great many were not watching William but Alex.

_“You must be aware that many of the males here are interested in her William.”_

_“Yes Lily, I see that.”_

_“And are you not concerned?”_

_“Not in the slightest. I know that she loves me and is not interested in anyone else and, thanks to you, I need not worry about losing her. It’s ironic really, as much as you dislike her, you yourself have given me the strength and authority to be able to walk through a room full of powerful vampires with her on my arm with no concern that someone might try to take her from me. As you yourself pointed out, they would not dare!”_

_“I do not dislike her William. Admittedly I did at first, I was jealous of your feelings for her. But now I can see that she is useful to you and not merely for food and sex.”_

_“That is not why I love her and you know it!”_

_“Yes, I know that. I see now that you are not so unusual as I had thought in your choice of a human companion. It appears that many others do so, and you have chosen well, she is very beautiful and appears worthy of you, of us.”_

_“So you appreciate her purely for decorative purposes?”_

_“I am interested in how you appear to others William, it reflects well on me if they admire your companion. My host should be a vampire that others look up to and admire. Besides.......I feel sure that there is more to her than she has allowed me to see.”_

William was silent for a moment, thoughtful. _“Well, I’m glad that you have come to appreciate at least one of her many good qualities.”_

_“The two Kings we met just now, you don’t trust them do you?”_

_“No indeed I don’t.”_

_“You show considerable wisdom for one so young. They did not believe that I live in you did they?”_

_“Oh I think Felipe does now! Although he didn’t want to. What did you do to him?”_

_“It is similar to your glamour, but much more powerful, he could feel my presence and my anger at his disbelief. He will pass on this knowledge to others who do not wish to believe. They will accept you as their leader my friend. I shall make sure of this!”_

Alex put a hand on William's arm. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“Lilith doesn’t trust Edgington or De Castro” He answered quietly.

“How very perceptive of her!” she said, “I’ve only just met them and I wouldn’t trust either of them further than I could see 'em……if that far!” 

_She evidently had remarkably good judgement for a mortal. I was considering this and my concentration lapsed for a moment. Suddenly I caught a reference to dancing...._

_“Waltz? What is this waltz?”_

_“Relax Lily, just relax and go with it!”_

William swept her out onto the dance floor, his hand in the small of her back, the smooth satin of her dress cool under his fingers. He held her close, her small warm hand on his back just above his belt as the music carried us across the floor. There were other couples dancing, including Gerry and Susie, but he had eyes only for Alex. I became gradually aware that the crowds on the edge of the dance floor were becoming thicker but William didn't appear to notice. When the music stopped we swept to a halt at the edge of the floor. There were a few desultory claps and then we walked off the floor to a swelling roar of applause.


	26. Chapter 26

Shortly afterwards we left the Reception and headed back to the Hotel. He picked her up as she got out of the car and carried her into the private elevator. I could feel everything that he was feeling and I was impressed at the restraint he showed in not tearing her clothes off in the elevator! They were leaning back against the velvet cushioned wall, his arms around her, her hands in his hair, holding his head still as they kissed. He carried her into the suite and over to the bed and I felt certain that the dress, beautiful though it was, was about to end up in pieces on the thick carpet. But I was wrong. He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled her gently back between his knees and began to carefully unfasten the hooks and eyes down the back of the bodice. I could feel the tension in the air, so strong I was surprised that sparks didn't jump between them.

_“William! What are you waiting for?”_

_“Relax will you…..I want to take my time with her….”_

_“Well I don’t!”_

_“Who’s in charge here?”_

I relapsed into a sullen silence.

_“Just take it easy Lily, you’ll find that anticipation adds to the pleasure.”_

_“Whose? Hers possibly – certainly not mine!”_

_“Then feel for hers! We have a blood bond remember, her pleasure is also mine and therefore yours…..”_

Of course! I had forgotten that. I took William’s advice and relaxed, allowing myself to flow into his senses and immediately I discovered that he was right. I could sense her feelings. William had finished undoing the tiny hooks and she had stepped out of the dress and turned to face him. She was naked but for a pair of tiny black lace panties, a pair of stockings and black high heeled sandals laced up to the ankles with thin leather straps. I could feel the warm glow of anticipation coming off her like smoke. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He smiled at her and she stepped forward, unhesitatingly into his arms.

I concentrated on the emotions flowing through the bond and felt only love and trust and yes, anticipation. She knelt on the bed on top of him and kissed him and as his arms locked around her body I felt a comfortable peace flow over him. He was truly happy and I knew at that moment that he would never willingly give her up.

She smiled and stood up, putting her hands on his shoulders. “So what did you have in mind then?”

He leaned forward and gently kissed her throat, nuzzling at her hair. 

_“What's that scent?”_

_“Strawberries, she smells of strawberries!”_

But now it was as though I was William, I could feel everything he felt in the same way, I was part of him. I could feel her smooth skin against mine, feel her hot breath on my cheek. He moved downwards laying a sensuous trail of kisses down her throat to her soft full breasts, his tongue curling gently around her nipple and sucking it into his mouth until I could feel the tips of his fangs scratch against her flesh. I expected her to pull away but she didn't. Instead she leaned forward and pushed her hands into his hair, encouraging him until he gently bit down into her breast.

Every time I tasted her blood was as good as the first. I had known from the very first taste that there was something very different about her but William had successfully kept this information from me. After a while I had worked out for myself what the taste was and he had, reluctantly, confirmed it for me. She was part faery. I had heard of them millennia ago when they had visited earth far more frequently although we knew little about them. They were the opposite of us, creatures of the light as we are creatures of the darkness but their blood! It was nectar......the taste was heavenly. Soon my children had begun to hunt these creature and, although they were very hard to catch, after hundreds of years they began to withdraw from this world. Few vampires these days had even heard of them, much less believed in them, although....... I suddenly recalled Russell Edgington's reaction when Alex was introduced to him. He had taken her hand to kiss and then had sniffed at her. Had he recognised her unique scent as being fae?

_“Yes. He has tasted fae blood before!”_

I picked the thought out of William’s mind just as he tore his mouth away from Alex's breast with a visible effort.

_“Oh no! Don't stop please.....that was so delicious!”_

_“Have some patience! I don't want to weaken her.”_

He had run his hands down her sides and reached her tiny black panties. I felt the roughness of the lace under my fingers for a moment before he unceremoniously ripped them off. Rather to my surprise she laughed and pushed him gently backwards onto the bed and began unfastening the buttons of his shirt and tugging it out of the waistband of his trousers before starting on the trouser buttons. He lay back and watched her for a moment.

_“Help her William! She'll never get them off with you lying on the bed! Come on!!”_

I felt a faint chuckle as he leaned back on his hands, bracing his feet on the floor and raised his hips up off the bed. Alex grasped this opportunity to pull the trousers off him. She turned to put them over the back of a chair and William pulled the shirt off over his head and wriggled out of his boxer shorts. She turned and regarded him for a moment with her head on one side and then walked back and sank to her knees before him. Quite suddenly I realised that my earlier fantasy was about to come true!

I gasped as her lips brushed against his stomach and her tongue trailed slowly down into his groin. Her long black hair trailed across the sensitive skin of his belly, making the muscles twitch and jump. I fought the urge to push his hips forward, to force his aching shaft closer to her warm, soft lips and I was rewarded when she curled her tongue around him and drew it gently down his length. William gave a soft groan as her lips closed around him and began to move slowly, gently increasing the pressure until I could barely stand it any more.

Just as I was convinced that he couldn't hold on any longer she pulled away and he opened his eyes. I watched her climb up onto the bed placing a knee on either side of his hips and look down at him speculatively. 

“You okay sweetie?” she whispered.

“Not really” he murmured. “I want you so badly it hurts! It's all I can do to keep still.”

“Just a little longer.......” she slid her knees apart and began to lower her body onto his. William's fingers were twisted into the sheets as he tried desperately to hold on to the remaining shreds of his self control.

_“You can't do it William! Let go, you know you want to!”_

_“I......I can!”_ he gasped.

And to give him credit, he managed it for all of thirty seconds or so until, with a growl of lust he grasped her by the hips and rolled over on the bed, their bodies still locked together. Alex gave a little squeak of surprise but I could tell that she was just as aroused as he was as she wriggled her hips against him, inciting him to drive himself deeper and murmuring encouragement into his ear until she began to shudder into an ecstatic climax beneath him. 

As she lay, panting, in his arms I heard a soft knock at the door to the suite. I wondered whether William could actually hear it over the sound of Alex's pounding heartbeat, but evidently he could.

“Just a moment sweetheart” he whispered, slipping out of bed and pulling on one of the fluffy dressing gowns. 

_“Who on earth is this? Get rid of them at once!”_ I demanded urgently.

 _“Well let's go and see shall we!”_ he answered with remarkable equanimity.

He went up the steps and opened the door. A rather nervous looking young man stood outside with a trolley. 

“Um.....Mr Compton?” he asked tentatively.

“Yes, that's right” he answered.

“I have something for you Sir. Herr von Shröeder arranged it.”

On the trolley were two bottles and two glasses. I recognised one of the bottles by the elegant blue glass as the “Royalty Blend” that we had sampled at the Reception. The other was resting in a bucket which appeared to be full of ice. Beside them sat a large flat box.

William smiled at the young man reassuringly. “Well that's very kind of him, thank you.” He handed him a couple of dollar bills while the young man wheeled the trolley into the suite.

“Thank you sir!” he said and hurried out.

_“What's in the box?”_

_“You'll see!”_

William picked up the ice bucket and the box and went back into the bedroom. Alex was sitting up in bed clasping the sheet to her breasts, her black hair falling around her shoulders in a thick cloud.

“Look what Ulrich's sent us!” he said. “He must have been pleased with the party!”

“Mmm......chocolates! I'm starving!” she said, reaching for the box and pulling off the lid. William laughed and went back to the trolley, returning in a moment with the Royalty Blend and the glasses.

_“It's food! She likes this food?”_

_“Yes.....she does!”_ William laughed.

He filled one glass from the bottle which was in the ice bucket and, to my delight one of the rare blood for himself, and me, and slipped back into bed beside her taking a sip and watching as she helped herself to a few more of the chocolates. She wriggled up beside him sending a shiver through his body. 

_“Can we do it again William?”_ I whispered hopefully.

_“Probably.....just keep quiet will you please?”_

Leaning over, he kissed her throat gently. “Just once more, please?” 

“Oh Bill!” she murmured “I'm too exhausted to move!”

_“Oh what nonsense! She's exaggerating!”_

_“Shhhh!”_

“You need some more energy! Try another chocolate.” 

He reached over and picked a chocolate out of the box and offered it to her. She smiled up at him lazily and opened her mouth and he slipped the chocolate between her lips. Her mouth felt soft and warm on his fingers as she licked the traces of chocolate from them and he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The taste was like an electric shock to my system. Thinking back on it later I realised that I could barely remember what taste was like! And this! It was heaven!

_“Oh William, that's.......amazing!”_

She reached over for another and flakes of chocolate broke off and fell onto her bare breasts.

“Oh Bill! Look, I've dropped.........” She hadn't completed her sentence before William's mouth was on her hot skin, his tongue licking hungrily at the tiny flakes of chocolate. For a moment I forgot about the Reception, the expensive rare blood, even the sex, all that mattered to me was the taste of the chocolate on William's tongue.

I felt him chuckle to himself. _“I've heard that some human women say that chocolate is better than sex!”_

_“Hmmm.....I'm not sure I'd go quite that far......!”_

_“Want to make a comparison?”_

He raised his eyes to Alex's and smiled at her. “Feeling stronger now?” he asked.

“Oh......”

“Then just relax.........let me......” he slipped his arm under her waist and lifted her, turning her over so that she lay on her stomach. Reaching up to the head of the bed he grasped a pillow and, raising her up, slipped it under her hips lifting her lovely little bottom up in front of him. I admired the long clean lines of her back and the smooth curves of her buttocks before William leaned down and planted a kiss on her bottom. She gave a little sigh as he knelt astride her hips, unfastening the belt of the dressing gown and, adjusting the pillow slightly for the perfect angle, he slid himself back inside her welcoming warmth. 

I concentrated on him and found that I could feel her warm contentment flowing into him through the blood bond and then a pulse of pleasure as he began to move his hips slowly and gently. Her flesh was warm and soft and slippery with her juices and she was so relaxed I could feel him pushing in deeper, her muscles relaxing instinctively to allow him to drive deeper until he could go no further. I could feel the soft warmth of her buttocks against his stomach with each stroke. He looked down and the sight of his flesh disappearing into hers began to arouse him even further, driving us both mad with lust.

I could hear her heartbeat quicken as William drove into her harder and faster, delighting in the tiny moans he was drawing from her at each stroke. But he wasn't ready to allow any of us satisfaction just yet. When her muscles began to twitch and close around him, he slowed and waited for her to relax before building up the pressure again, over and over until she was squirming on the pillows beneath him, moaning incoherently and I felt that I was about to explode. I struggled to keep quiet as I knew he wanted this for himself alone and soon he could stand it no longer. Brushing her hair from the back of her neck he leaned down and sank his fangs into the side of her throat, the sweet taste of her blood driving them both over the edge of ecstasy and taking me over with them.

 _“You see?”_ he murmured softly. _“I told you it would be worth the wait!”_

I found that I was quite unable to respond.


	27. Chapter 27

After a while I began to come to and I heard William's familiar dark voice.

“You enjoyed that huh?” 

For a moment I wasn't sure whether he was talking to me or Alex, but she responded, murmuring softly to him, praising him. I had to admit that he deserved her praise. He was a gentle and considerate lover, she was lucky!

“You see, you weren't too tired after all” he whispered. “I know what you need, there’s so much I can teach you, here….” He reached over to the table beside the bed where he had left the chocolates and the champagne. He picked up another chocolate truffle and held it out to her. 

“Mmm…..delicious, am I going to need the energy?” she whispered with a wicked little smile.

He glanced back at the table for a moment. “You trust me don’t you Alex?” he asked.

She didn't hesitate for a second “Of course” she replied instantly, wriggling down into the pillows. “I’m just your helpless slave, you know that.”

_“Hmmm.......could be interesting!”_

William gave a little snort and reached over to the bottle of champagne saying “close your eyes!” She raised an eyebrow doubtfully. “Trust me?” She gave a little sigh and closed her eyes obediently.

_“What on earth do you have in mind?”_

_“You'll find out!”_

I felt his hand slide into the bucket and nearly cried out with surprise at the shock of the melting ice. He felt around for one of the few cubes left and pulled one out. He rolled over and I looked down at her, her naked body stretched out on the bed, her eyes closed unquestioningly. Even I had no idea what he was going to do but she clearly trusted him completely. He ran the tip of his finger down her stomach and she twitched slightly but didn’t move. Then he gently placed the ice cube on her stomach. She gave a little squeak of surprise and her eyes flew open as the ice slid across her warm skin.

“Oh you bad girl! I told you to keep your eyes closed!” he said with mock severity. Now I shall have to teach you to obey me!”

She stared up at him, her eyes wide with excitement and perhaps just a tiny touch of fear. He smiled down at her reassuringly and began to slide the rapidly melting ice cube down into the patch of dark curly hair between her thighs. She gasped as he slid it down across her warm folds and it rapidly melted completely and disappeared. He leaned over and ran his tongue down the cold trail of melting ice at the same time reaching over to the ice bucket. This time his questing fingers found a larger cube. He was clearly a more adventurous lover than I had thought!

“Now then, keep your eyes closed this time!” he ordered firmly.

“Yes sir!” she said breathlessly, closing her eyes.

_“William! Are you going to......?”_

_“Keep out of this Lily!”_

I bit back a sharp response and tried to relax as he repeated the slow movement of the ice and this time it had not completely melted when it reached her soft entrance and he eased it gently inside her. She gasped again and pushed herself against him, but did not open her eyes. I felt the muscles tighten over my finger as her body sucked the ice cube inside her.

“Oooh Bill! That feels……..so weird!” she sighed.

He pulled his finger out of her warm channel, a trickle of cold water oozing out onto the sheets. “Want to feel something else?” he suggested softly.

Her eyes widened further. “Well that depends what you’ve got in mind” she purred softly. He took her hand and guided it down his stomach to where he was throbbing with anticipation. 

“Hmm……that feels warm in comparison. Could be interesting!” she breathed softly, rolling on her side and throwing a leg over his hip invitingly. William needed not further encouragement as he rolled her over onto her back and mounted her, sliding himself into her smoothly in a single movement. He gasped with pleasure at the new sensation and I joined him. Her normally warm soft welcoming flesh was cool and wet from the melting ice. “Oh yes!” he murmured to himself. 

_“Yes…..”_

He began to move faster, the friction of their bodies rapidly burning away the coldness left by the ice cube.

“Oh Bill....that feels so good!” she murmured.

_“Oh William that does feel good.”_

He stopped in mid-stroke. _“Lily? What did I just tell you? Will you please go away!”_

 _“Oh please, I can't help it. Have you any idea how long it's been since I felt this? In fact, I've never felt anything quite like this.”_ I could feel my voice in his head, low and thick with desire. 

_“Oh really Lily!”_

 _"Now don't be unreasonable William dear. I never realised that a man's body could feel such pleasure, it's fascinating. Just try and ignore me!”_

_“That's **my** body you're talking about remember!”_

“Bill? Is something wrong?......oh please don't stop!” whispered Alex.

“No, no everything's fine” he said hurriedly, starting to move his hips slowly again.

_“Listen to her William she knows what she wants, what we all want!”_

_“ All right, stay there but just keep quiet, you're putting me off!”_ He hissed the thought at me and I chuckled softly to myself. I could feel him reaching for her through the blood bond, trying to gauge the level of her arousal, trying to time his movements to increase her pleasure. After a few moments they fell into an obviously familiar rhythm, their bodies moving together in an intimate dance, each giving pleasure to the other.

He was kneeling astride her body, both hands on her hips, her legs spread on either side of his as he moved his hips in a smooth rhythm, driving himself into her, the pleasure building gradually until I simply couldn't help myself. I poured myself into him, giving him my strength and stamina, letting my arousal wash over him until he began to cry out with the intensity of it.

_“More, yes more William, harder, she wants this, can't you tell?”_

He gave a harsh growl, like that of an animal in pain and suddenly there was nothing else in the world, only this ecstasy..........

I knew I had made a mistake as soon as William opened his eyes to see her looking down at him speculatively. “Bill? Are you okay?”

He smiled up at her. “Yes, yes I'm fine!”

She took a deep breath. “Oh good! So, what was that about?”

Uh oh! This was bad! William looked up at her with his most innocent expression.

_“Don't tell her William, you know she won't like it!”_

_“She's not stupid! She already knows!”_

Surely he wouldn't be so foolish as to admit it! I knew he had this strange, chivalrous attitude towards telling her the truth but there had to be limits. If she left him because of me he'd never forgive me! Also he'd be devastated himself of course and I found that I didn't want that. I knew how much he.........I caught myself on the verge of admitting to myself that he loved her. I gave a resigned little sigh. He did, didn't he.....and I knew it, I just didn't want to accept it.

“What?” he asked.

“Oh come on! Don't take me for a fool Bill!” She said firmly. “I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy it but there was something more going on there. I can feel you through the blood bond remember? I know you, you feel......warm and comforting, but there was something else there with you, something dark and cold and powerful.” She paused, looking down at him. “It was her wasn't it? Lilith.” 

Damn it, he was right, she'd guessed!

He reached for her and pulled her down beside him. “Yes” he answered with a sigh. “It was Lilith. She is always with me, you know that.”

“Yes I know” she said in a small, defeated voice.

“Are you okay with that? Because.........” he faltered to a stop, evidently unable to think of anything he could actually do about it.

Well I could think of something! He could drive me out again, so that I was unable to affect him as I did now. I shuddered at the thought that, should he exercise his power over me, I could end up hiding out in a walled off corner of his mind for ever! Admittedly he would lose the ability to draw on my strength, but then so would I.

She smiled up at him and snuggled closer. “So I've got Lilith” she said “But I've got you as well and as long as I've got you I'll be okay!”

 _“She's okay with this?”_ I could hardly believe what I'd just heard.

_“She's a very pragmatic young lady. She's had to make a lot of adjustments very quickly in order to be with me and she hasn't hesitated yet. You should be grateful to her. Her decision means that I won't have to renege on our mutual trust and throw you out!”_

I went cold. He did know!

 _“Do you really think you could do that William!”_ I asked icily.

I felt him smile to himself as he caressed Alex's hair. _“Now you see I can always tell when you're worried Lily. When you take that tone with me I know I'm right!”_

Damn it! He was too perceptive. I had though I was growing to know him but hadn't realised that he was learning about me as well. But even as I thought this I felt a sense of pride in him. I had known, all those years ago when I first set eyes on him, that he was special. Everything that had happened since had merely proved me to have been correct.

_“I......I'm sorry. I should not have made myself known as I did. It was foolish of me”_

_“It's probably for the best. She had to know sooner or later.”_

_“She will accept this?”_

_“She has no choice.”_

Oh but she did! And he was well aware of it too. I had to ask myself what would happen if she were to ask him to banish me as he had before. Would he do it please her?


	28. Chapter 28

I kept silent while William held Alex in his arms until she fell into an exhausted sleep. But when he laid her carefully down on the bed and pulled the quilt up off her legs I just couldn't help myself.

_“What do you think you're doing now?”_

He had reached down to her ankles and was carefully unfastening the straps of her sandals.

 _“I'm taking her shoes off, she'll be far more comfortable without them.”_ he explained patiently, untying the long laces from around her ankles and loosening the straps so that he could gently ease the shoes off without waking her.

 _“Where on earth did she get such kinky shoes?”_ he thought to himself, getting up with the shoes dangling from one hand and placing them carefully on the chair.

_“What's kinky about them?”_

_“Oh Lily!”_

_“No really.......I'm curious! Do men really think those are kinky? Why?”_

I could feel his intense embarrassment. _“Well......I guess its all the black leather straps....”_

_“Ah! I begin to see now!”_

_“Lily! Don't go there!”_

_“It's not a question of me......it's a question of whether you want to go there!”_

William lay down on his back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

 _“Can we not talk about this now please?”_ he asked plaintively. _“I need some sleep, it's been a long night!”_

The temptation to tease him with talk of bondage and leather was almost overwhelming, but I remembered the freedom that he had allowed me despite the fact that he knew Alex wouldn't like it and I restrained myself.

 _“Get some sleep William”_ I said. _“You'll probably need it!”_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We woke at dusk to find Alex still sleeping peacefully. 

_“So”_ asked William quietly. _“What did you think of the vampires you met last night?”_

 _“Well......”_ I thought for a moment. _“Most of the Authority members seemed suitably impressed with you, the monarchs as well in fact, except for the ones who had actually met you before......should that worry me?_

He laughed. _“Oh now that's not fair Lily and you know it! Yes, I dislike Felipe de Castro and for good reason. I've gone up against Russell Edgington as well and I don't trust him, and neither did you I noticed!”_

 _“You're quite right of course. I didn't trust either of them and I would have come to the same conclusion without your input, that only confirmed my poor opinion of them.”_ I ran over the numerous influential vampires we had met the previous evening in my mind. _“What about Freyda of Oklahoma?”_ I asked thoughtfully. _“Do you think that weasel Northman will be able to influence her against you?”_

_“I've no doubt he'll try! Whether he succeeds or not will be a good test of her judgement.”_

I smiled to myself, impressed. He was certainly proving to be an excellent politician! There was a buzzing noise and he reached over to the table beside the bed and rummaged amongst the empty glasses and chocolate wrappers for his phone.

“Ulrich!” he sighed, “he wants a debrief meeting in an hour.” He lay back and stared up at the ceiling. “Will I ever get any peace!”

At that point Alex gave a little sigh and opened her eyes.

William immediately relaxed and smiled down at her. “Good evening, I was wondering when you’d wake up.”

“I’ve not slept so well in quite some time” she murmured, stretching languidly.

He raised an eyebrow. “Well I’d happily offer my services to tire you out again any time you like!”

She laughed and then raised the sheet and looked down at herself. “I don’t remember taking my shoes off.”

William explained how he had removed them the previous evening after she had fallen asleep, but I noticed he was careful not to mention their “kinkiness”.

He explained about the debrief and suggested that Alex and Susie could get some food from room service.

As he spoke there was a knock at the door. “That’ll be him now, you’d better hop in the shower. I’ll call room service.” He leaned over and kissed her. She rolled over and pressed her body against him, deepening the kiss. She felt warm and soft.......after a while the knock came again, slightly more impatient this time.

“Okay! Just a minute!” said William irritably as Alex wriggled out of his embrace and slid out of the bed, heading for the bathroom. 

William pulled on a dressing gown and crossed the room to the door. Gerry and Susie stood outside. “You got Ulrich's message?” asked Gerry, eyeing the dressing gown.

“Yes, yes......come in, I'll just get dressed, Alex is in the shower.” 

Before he had a chance to close the door Ulrich appeared immaculate in a smart grey suit and stepped though the open door.

“Do you think you could put some clothes on Your Excellency?” he asked with a smile.

“Make yourselves at home.....” William headed back into the bedroom and pulled on a T shirt and jeans. He picked up the phone and called room service, ordering as he walked back into the lounge area where Azaria and Dan had now arrived and were curled up on a sofa together.

William smiled at Azaria and sat down on the other sofa. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?” he asked.

“Oh Bill! It was wonderful. I so enjoyed myself! I'm so glad you persuaded me to come with you.”

_“You're very fond of her aren't you?”_

I could feel it. I could hear the love in his voice. I struggled to understand how he could have such powerful feelings for one who was not related to him in any way. He really did treat her as his child. Just then there was another knock at the door and William went to open it. As soon as she saw the young man with the trolley Susie jumped up and headed for it.

Alex emerged from the bathroom just then wearing one of the big fluffy hotel dressing gowns. She went over and helped Susie remove the covers from plates of food which sat on the trolley. They helped themselves to a plateful each and passed one to Dan then she settled down on the sofa next to William.

“Well, it seems that everyone had a good time last night? I thought it went very well on the whole” said Ulrich, sounding pleased. “I managed to introduce almost everyone who wanted to speak to you Bill, they will all go back home and tell all their friends about it!” He smiled to himself. “After all, it’s not every night you get to meet a God! Most of the Monarchy will also be visiting Chicago as there will be another informal Reception there organised by Francesca de Luca’s people. You’ll need to liaise with them Gerry.”

Gerry nodded. “Fine, I’ll get onto it.”

“There were only one or two little hiccups……Bill, what’s the problem between you and Queen Freyda’s new consort?”

“There’s no problem” said William calmly. “Well, he’s an arrogant, self-centred ass, but that’s never been a problem. Not so far as he’s concerned anyway!”

_“That would be the weasel, right?”_

Ulrich glanced at Azaria. “Wasn’t he the one who tried to defend Lazlo?” he asked.

“That’s him!” Bill gave Azaria a little smile.

_“Who's Lazlo? Oh wait......he's Azaria's real maker?”_

_“That's right.”_

_“The one who abandoned her?”_

_“So you were paying attention! Good!”_

A month ago his comment would have annoyed me, I would have taken it as an insult, but now......somehow I was pleased that he felt comfortable enough with me to tease me a little.

“Okay” said Ulrich a little doubtfully. “As long as you’re okay with him. How about Felipe de Castro?”

William leaned back on the sofa. “Well, it’s really not my problem any more since I have no intention of returning to Louisiana,” he said “but I dislike him personally. Many vampires that I knew well and liked were killed during his brutal takeover of Sophie-Anne’s territory. Besides that, I don’t think he should be permitted to hold three territories anyway, and Lilith agrees with me, it’s dangerous for one man, particularly someone as ambitious as he is, to have too much power. The Authority should rein him in.”

Ulrich gazed at him speculatively. “I’ll pass that on. Perhaps with Lilith’s recommendation they’ll do something about it.”

I smiled to myself. He appeared to have no idea of the irony of his comment. He had only to ask and I could give him absolute power. He glanced over at Alex who was watching him with a strange expression and I suddenly knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was thinking exactly the same thing.

Gerry leaned forward and put his hands on his knees. “So what did you think of Sascha’s piece of gossip?”

“You mean about the witch?” asked Ulrich. “What was the name?”

“Lucilla” said William quietly.

There was silence for a moment, the three male vampires looking worried. Azaria sat up. “Could she really be a threat to us?” she asked, turning to William.

He gave a little sigh. “Yes, it’s possible, but unlikely. She would have to be very powerful, but such things have happened. There have been cases in the past.”

_“There have indeed! You've heard of them?”_

_“Many of us have heard the stories.”_

“Cases of what?” asked Azaria, obviously fascinated.

“The best known happened in Logroňo, Spain, at the time of the Inquisition” said Ulrich. “A woman known as Antonia Gavilán, she was tried and burned as a witch, but we were not aware that she was a practitioner of necromancy. She hated vampires……” he did not elaborate.

_“She had good reason!”_

_“William!”_ I was shocked that he would think this. _“Nothing justifies what she did!”_

 _“The very fact that you don't think so shows me that you have a lot to learn Lily.”_ he said mildly.

“She swore that if she was to burn, then we would burn with her” said Ulrich “and as they set the fire to her flesh she cast a spell which drew every vampire within twenty miles from their sleep and out into the sun. Hundreds burned……”

Alex looked completely shocked. She squeezed Bill’s hand and he turned and smiled down at her. “We’ll just have to be careful” he said comfortingly.


	29. Chapter 29

We spent a few more days in New York and I allowed William to have some time alone with Alex when he was free from meetings with the Authority. I still felt a little nervous about his veiled threat to banish me back into a corner of his mind. He had shown considerable courage and faith in me by allowing me as much independence as he had and I had no wish to risk the somewhat fragile bond of trust which was developing between us.

On the night before we left for Chicago they spent some time alone in the rooftop bar of the Hotel overlooking Central Park. I struggled not to listen to their conversation but when William began to speak of me I couldn't help myself.

“How are you coping?” Alex asked him quietly. “This must all be a terrible strain on you, having to deal with all this political stuff and Lilith as well?”

He shifted on the cushioned bench seat and pulled her closer to him. “It’s confusing” he said. “In some ways she tires me out, the constant concentration feels like I’m trying to carry out two conversations at once……in fact sometimes I am having two conversations at once! But at the same time, she gives me enough strength to be able to cope.” 

He looked down at her. “Speaking of coping, how are you doing?” he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders. “This can’t be easy for you either.”

She smiled up at him. “Oh I’m fine, don’t worry about me. When I think about what might have happened………” 

He held her tightly to him. “I hate to do this to you Alex. I feel that I’m pressurising you to stay but I know that as long as you’re with me I’ll be alright” he whispered “I don’t think I could bear to lose you, not now.”

“You won’t!” she said firmly. “I’m not going anywhere!” she took his hand. “I have no idea where this is going Bill and I know you don’t either, but whatever happens, I promise you I’ll be right there with you.”

For the first time I found myself thinking that this was a good thing. 

They sat holding hands in the darkness until William could feel the pull of dawn approaching and they had to head back to the suite.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Almost immediately on our arrival in Chicago we received an invitation to meet the Queen and her court. I could feel that William was tired from the journey and I told myself that I would help him all I could.

The Queen’s substantial and elegant mansion was set outside the city in several acres of grounds and we swept in through a pair of high wrought iron gates and down a long tree lined drive to the house. There were several guards dotted discreetly around the entrance but we were greeted by a tall, thin, blond vampire who introduced himself as the Queen’s private secretary. He escorted us down a corridor to a large wood panelled drawing room with two enormous bay windows looking out over the grounds and containing several sofas and half a dozen armchairs, several of which were already occupied.

_“Oh not them again!”_

Bill, Ulrich and Gerry nodded politely to Russell Edgington, Felipe de Castro, Queen Freyda and Eric and we sat down, carefully out of reach, to await her Majesty’s arrival. 

Alex murmured something to William and got up, heading over to the vampire secretary, then left the room.

_“Where's she going?” I asked._

_“Bathroom”_

After a few moments she returned and even I could tell that she looked worried. William noticed immediately. “What is it?” he asked breaking off his conversation with Gerry and looking down at her, concern filling his blue eyes.

“Can I just have a quiet word?” she whispered, pulling gently on his hand. He got up instantly and we walked over to the large bay window looking out across the grounds. “I overheard Sascha taking to the Queen just now” she said quietly. “I didn't mean to, I was just coming back from the bathroom.”

William lowered his head. “What did you hear?” he asked

“Well......I heard Sascha's voice coming through a half open doorway and I heard him say “........you have to tell them you know!””

“Tell us what?” whispered William.

“Well that's what I wondered!” said Alex. “Then I heard another voice which I'm guessing was the Queen. She said “You will not mention this Sascha! You understand, I absolutely forbid it!” She meant it too Bill! The Sascha replied “But my lady, you must! What if something were to happen? If she were to return?” He really sounded seriously worried. “You know as well as I do that if anything were to happen to Mr Compton the Authority would destroy us! All of us! We can't risk it!” the Queen replied “You will say nothing and you will leave this to me. You should never have mentioned the possibility to them in the first place! Diana will be hunted down and destroyed. If she has betrayed us as Anne believes then it is only what she deserves.” 

“Strange.....” he murmured. “It sounds as though they were talking about the rumour Sascha told us about, but he said her name was Lucilla, not Diana. Who's Diana? And come to that who's Anne?”

Just at that moment the door opened and a woman walked in. She was tall and elegant, dressed in a white suit, her bronze hair pulled up into a knot on the top of her head, making her look even taller.

Ulrich stood up and bowed his head slightly. “Your Majesty” he said.

William turned from the window and bowed his head politely in acknowledgement. He walked over to Ulrich who introduced him. “This is his Excellency William Compton, the vessel of the Goddess.”

“Good Evening your Majesty. I trust there's no problem with our visit?” said William quietly.

The Queen nodded politely to him. “Why of course not your Excellency” she answered. “Everything is arranged.”

_“You can't trust her William! She's lying to you!”_

_“I know, but what can I do?”_

_“Leave this to me!”_

I reached forward and placed my hand on her cheek, William allowed me to take control and I could feel her discomfort. What she had told us was not true.

_**“Do not attempt to lie to me, I am your Goddess!”** _

Everyone in the room sat up suddenly and stared at us.

 _ **“Who is Diana and why might she be a danger to us?”**_ I asked.

The Queen simply stared at William for a moment. _**“Answer me!”**_ I snarled angrily.

She was shocked into a reply. “Diana is.......she is a member of my court, an old friend. But yesterday she attempted to break into my office, where the details of your visit were kept. She had something, some creatures with her. They fought off my security guards while she attempted to get at the information.”

 _ **“And Anne? Who is she?”**_

“Anne is another old friend, she thinks that Diana has betrayed us to Lucilla, the witch. Anne knows witches, she hates them, says that her life was ruined by a witch.”

 _ **“She is here?”**_ I asked.

“Yes!”

_**“Fetch her!”** _

I snapped out the order and removed William's hand from the Queen's face. She sagged for a moment and then turned to the door and gave an order to someone standing just outside.

_**“Your head of security too. Get him in here!”** _

Ulrich stepped forward looking furious. “Why were we not informed of this development immediately!” He tapped the bluetooth earpiece he wore to communicate with his security team and said “Harry! Get a team in here now, we're leaving for the airport!”

The room immediately erupted. The Queen was obviously horrified at the thought that William and his entourage might leave earlier than scheduled. “No, no you can't. Trust me, everything will be fine, we can handle it!”

Russell turned to Eric and said something which made Eric smile. “You're not wrong there!” he said. “He always was one to run away from problems!”

Ulrich turned on him furiously. “You! Be silent! You have nothing to do with this!”

Felipe de Castro stood up. “But he's right. The man's a coward!” He turned to me with a cynical little smile and opened his mouth to say something else just as the Queen began to argue her case with Ulrich again.

_**“Silence!”** _

It was perhaps only at this point that I realised that William had relinquished control to me completely. I finally had it, what I had been struggling for for months, he had given it over to me voluntarily! I looked over at Alex. She was standing beside the window watching me and I could see that she knew. There was something in her eyes that told me, she was aware of what had happened. For a few seconds I felt a sense of freedom that I had not felt for some time. But then I knew that I had to give it up. I knew that he trusted me but I had not realised that his trust extended so far! This alone was astonishing considering what I had put him through. Besides, I needed him, I knew now that he was right....Goddess or not, I couldn't do this alone. I relaxed my hold on his mind and allowed him back.

I could feel the relief as he took control again and walked over to Alex. De Castro stood in his way and I brushed him aside. He took Alex's shoulder in his hand and leaned down resting his forehead gently against hers.

_“Why did you do it?”_ I asked softly. 

He sighed. _“Lily, I am immortal. We may have to share this body for a very, very long time. We need to be able to trust one another completely and I thought it was about time we did.”_

_“Did it not occur to you that I might not give it back?”_

_“Oh yes! It occurred to me all right! But trust has to start somewhere....”_

Alex was looking up at him with worried grey eyes. “Are you okay Bill?” she whispered. 

“Yes, yes I'm fine!” he smiled down at her and released her shoulder. She flexed her arm, her expression twisting with discomfort and I could feel William's horror as he realised that he had hurt her. 

“Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry!” he murmured. 

“It's okay....not now” she said, looking behind him.

He turned and saw a short stocky vampire with dark hair come into the room.

Queen Francesca turned to him and said “This is Angelo, my head of security. Angelo, explain to Mr Compton what happened last night.”

He shrugged casually. “We had a security breach. Something broke the perimeter and my men went out to see what was happening. There was a lot of confusion as we tried to find out exactly what these things were and while they were gone a female vampire got into the house and attempted to break into the Queen's office. We think it was Diana, one of the Queen's court, that would explain how she got in and knew where to go. One of my men saw the open door and called out and tried to stop her but he was human and couldn't catch her so she got away.”

“Do you have any idea what she wanted?” asked Ulrich.

“Not really no. She took nothing away with her.”

“I want the perimeter sealed” ordered William.

The man looked over at his Queen. “Do as His Excellency says Angelo!” she said sharply.

“It will take a few hours Madam.” 

“A few hours!” growled William.

“It's a large estate!” she explained apologetically.

“I told him to seal the perimeter, not dry stone wall it!” William replied angrily. “I want it completed in twenty minutes, do you understand?”

“Yes Your Excellency!”

_“Well done. You're learning fast!”_

_“I've had a good teacher!”_


	30. Chapter 30

Ulrich took over the questioning at this point. It appeared that the intruder had assistance from what the security chief called a “creature” but he had been unable to get any information out of it.

“Creature?” he asked. “What kind of creature?”

Angelo shrugged again. “No idea! I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s in the cells downstairs.”

Ulrich looked across at William. “What do you think?”

“Can’t do any harm to take a look!” he said. He turned to Alex. “Would you rather stay here?” 

“I’d rather stay with you if that’s okay” she said nervously. 

William seemed a little reluctant to take her with him but she seemed adamant.

“I think I’d rather stay with you if you don’t mind” she said.

“Okay” he said. “But keep behind me.” She nodded solemnly, her grey eyes wide with fright.

“If you’d like to come this way?” Angelo led us to a narrow staircase and we headed down into the darkness.

At the bottom of the narrow staircase there were cells similar to those in Darius' house and inside one of the cells was......well, a creature. To my complete shock I recognised it! It was a Sabiru. These were guardians of the lands of the Fae. I had not seen one of these creatures on earth for centuries. I simply could not imagine how it had got here. It was naked and its skin was a greyish colour. It appeared to be basically humanoid but its hands and feet were grotesquely elongated and its head looked more like that of a dog with long jaws full of jagged looking teeth. It was crouched in a corner against the dirty brick wall, as far away from the bars as it could get. There was a metal collar around its neck and the skin around it looked reddened and blistered. It turned its head as we entered and I saw that there was a line of burn scars all down one side of its body. There was silence in the dingy basement as we stared at the creature in astonishment.

“What the hell is that?” asked Russell. William turned and I saw that the others had followed us down the stairs.

“We have no idea” answered Angelo but it was with Diana and she left it behind when she fled. We've tried to get information out of it but we don't even know if it's intelligent enough to understand what we want from it. Or if it even understands what's happening.” He took a step towards the bars and the Sabiru flinched back, its eyes, a curious shade of pale silvery grey, following him.

I could feel William's disgust at the treatment meted out to this creature. He had no idea what it was, or what it was capable of, but he saw that it was suffering and felt compassion for it.

“Oh, I think it understands all right!” he said, not bothering to hide his disapproval.

The creature turned its head towards us and spoke. The language was harsh and guttural and I could see that, to everyone else, it was completely incomprehensible but I understood it. It was asking us for help!

Angelo's eyebrows shot up. “It's never done that before!” he said, obviously surprised. He reached towards the bars and picked up a chain which was attached to the metal collar. He hauled on the chain and the Sabiru was dragged across the floor. It let out a high pitched sound of distress and began to scrabble at the floor with its long claws, trying to stop its inexorable slide towards the bars.

William was instantly furious. “Let go of that chain!” he hissed.

Angelo let go in shock. It had obviously not occurred to him that anyone other than his Queen would dare to speak to him in that tone of voice. 

“Why?” he asked.

“It’s obviously terrified of us! I wonder why that could be?” asked William sarcastically. As he spoke Alex stepped forward towards the bars. William snatched her back in a panic. “Careful Alex!” he whispered “you know nothing about this thing.”

She gazed through the bars, William's arm around her shoulders. “Oh I think I might do actually” she said softly. “Look at its neck Bill, the collar’s burnt it!” She wriggled out of his arms and stepped carefully forward. The Sabiru was squatting on the concrete floor staring at her with equal fascination. As I watched, it leaned forward and sniffed at the air like a large bald hunting dog. It stared up at her without a trace of fear in its eyes, only a strange curiosity and I began to wonder what it could sense about her that interested it enough to ignore it's current predicament.

“That iron collar has burned its flesh” she said. It’s not afraid of us! It’s afraid of the bars! of the iron! It’s a faerie!”

For a moment I was unable to even think straight. I knew it! I had known there was more to her than met the eye. How on earth could she possibly have known that!. These creatures had not been seen on this plane for thousands of years! I knew that mortals had many myths and legends about the Fae. That could explain how she knew about the iron and, now that I looked more carefully, I could see that she was correct. The skin of its neck was blistered where the collar had rubbed against it. Perhaps she was simply very observant? But somehow I knew there was more to it than this.

There was a lot of laughter from the vampires and jokes about finding it at the bottom of the garden but I was fascinated by this new revelation of Alex's abilities.

Alex turned and glared at them angrily. “Not a fairy……I mean it comes from faerie…the realm of faerie. Oh……” she gave William a frustrated look. “When I was talking to Aislynn, you remember, she told me about Azaria? Well she said that Azaria’s mother, Mab’s daughter, could “walk between the worlds”. I think this is what she meant Bill!” She was looking up at him, her eyes shining with excitement. “You remember how Mab appeared in the Authority’s courtroom? She did the same sort of thing when she visited us at the Mill House. There was a shimmering in the air and she just walked through it……as if she had come through from another realm, another reality. I think that’s what faerie is. And that’s where this creature is from.”

They all stared at her in silence.

_“Well, I’m impressed! Very impressed! She has more intelligence than the rest of you put together!”_

_“You mean she’s right?”_

_“She is absolutely correct! This poor creature is no threat to you my friend, it only wants to go home. It is called a Sabiru and it is one of the guardians of Faerie.”_

_“How would you know that?”_

_“I've seen them before of course, long ago.”_

_“No, I meant how would you know what it wants?”_

_“It just said so, it is trapped here.”_

_“The poor thing……wait! You understood it?”_

_“Curiously enough yes, it appears to be speaking a language from the area around Babylon, for some reason….in ancient times creatures from other realms were much more common than they are today. They almost never come here now…..so much for your progress!”_

William smiled to himself.

_“Can you translate for me?”_

_“Why of course! Speak to it William and I shall translate your words between your mind and your tongue. Then I shall do the same for its replies.”_

He turned to Angelo “You! Open that door now!”


	31. Chapter 31

Angelo stared at William but didn't move.

_“Guess you'll have to do it yourself!”_

_“Very well.”_

William raised his hand and pointed at the lock which held the barred gate to the cell closed. 

_“Feel for the power William, draw it out.”_

He pushed power out towards the lock and watched as a film of ice formed over the metal. With a slight effort of will he broke the cold brittle iron apart and the lock fell in pieces to the floor. 

_“Very nicely done William. You’re learning fast!”_

_“You concentrate on the translation.”_

He took hold of Angelo by the collar and pushed him ahead of him into the cell. 

He crouched down before the Sabiru and began to say “It’s okay, I won’t let him hurt you.”

I sensed what he was about to say and intercepted his words, translating them into the harsh sounds of the Babylonian tongue. It had been so long since I had heard this language spoken that I was not entirely sure that the Sabiru would even understand me. However it turned its head towards him in surprise, the movement rubbing its neck against the collar. It gave another high pitched cry and said “please my Lord, help me…….the pain…..”

“Get that collar off!” said William harshly.

“Are you insane!” Angelo was staring at him as if he had gone mad.

I glared up at him, my anger burning out through William's bright blue eyes.

“Would you like to find out?” I growled.

Angelo appeared to decide that it would be safer to humour him and began fumbling in a pocket for the key. The creature flinched as he approached it and William reached out a hand to it. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t let him hurt you again.”

Angelo warily unfastened the collar and backed away as he carefully removed it from the raw burned flesh of the creature’s throat. It gave a little sigh of relief and looked up at William. “Please…..I was not my intention to harm anyone. I was brought here against my will.” The Sabiru was speaking the same language, which I understood was incomprehensible to the group of vampires who were now clustered outside the cell, but now I could sense that William understood it as I did. He stood up and held out his hand. The creature took it and stood up in front of him. When fully upright it was about a foot taller than him but stood slightly stooped with its head lowered. 

“Are you saying that you can understand that thing? You can speak its language?” asked Russell in astonishment.

“No” he smiled, “but Lilith can.” 

_“So I get the credit! Thank you!”_

He turned back to the creature. “How did you get here?” he asked.

It turned its head and looked around at the assembled vampires. “I was brought here with two others of my kind by a powerful sorcerer. She was able to cast a spell to force us to obey her. When she fled from your people my brothers escaped but I…..” he glanced at Angelo. “I was captured.”

_“William! If she can coerce these creatures to her will she must be powerful indeed!”_

“Who is she?” he asked. “And what does she want from us? We were told that she is a necromancer, that she has power over death.”

“No, this is not true. She is an old spirit and very powerful, yet she is not immortal. She cheats death by moving from her body to another. In this way she has moved through time, always leaving one body as it ages and finding another, younger one. She is known as the corpsetaker.”

“Should we fear her then? If she has no power over the dead then she cannot harm us can she?”

The creature looked into his eyes and said “I think you should fear her my Lord. She has been looking for one of your kind, a blood drinker. She knows that your bodies are stronger, more resilient than normal humans. She has taken one of the Queen's servants, but recently she has heard of one…..one who has the powers of a God. Would this be you my Lord?”

William sighed. “I guess so!” _“You never cease to cause me problems do you Lily?”_

_“Hey! I'm helping out here aren't I?”_

“Then it is you that she seeks. You should take care.”

William turned back to the others. “It appears that your necromancer is a body snatcher. She moves from one to another to escape death.” He turned back to his new friend. “Does she do this often? How easy is it for her?”

“It is not easy” he said. “She does not move to a new body lightly. The circumstances have to be right and she will wait until she is quite sure of her choice.”

“What happens to......the original occupant?” he asked curiously.

“They will be transferred into her old body. If they do not die from the shock of the transfer then she usually kills them herself.”

William thought for a moment. “Is there any other help you can give us?” he asked.

The creature looked down sadly, “I will help you all I can. If you need me, I will be here.”

“We don't want to keep you here. Please.....you can leave. No-one will stop you” he said.

“Where would I go?” he asked helplessly. “I have nowhere.”

“Can you not go home?” he asked.

The creature gave a little sigh. “I know how to open a portal, but I have not the strength.....not alone.”

“Is there some way we can help you?”

He looked up and stared into William's eyes for a moment as if trying to judge if he were genuinely willing to help him. Then he moved forward and reached out to place his elongated fingers on his chest. “Yes” he said, a slight glimmer of hope appearing in his strange silvery eyes. “You could help me. You have Mab's power, I can feel it. Your strength could help me open the way.”

_“Lily? Is that possible?”_

_“Indeed you could William. It will not harm you. Interesting that he can sense the Fae power, it will return I promise you.”_

_“Are you sure?”_ he thought, suspiciously. 

_“I am inside your mind William! As you cannot lie to me, so I cannot lie to you.”_

He nodded. “Very well, I will help you if I can.”

The creature straightened up suddenly, towering over us and began to sniff the air. “Not here” he said. “Upstairs, at the level of the earth.”

William gestured to the door and the Sabiru walked out of the cell, ducking his head slightly to get under the bars and taking care not to allow them to touch his skin. William turned back to Alex who was smiling gently at him, I could see that she was pleased with his decision to help the poor creature.

We followed it up the stairs and down the corridor, watching with interest as it sniffed the air, searching, I supposed, for a suitable place to open the portal. It stopped outside two double doors and placed a hand on one, pushing it open gently. The room beyond was large, a ballroom and a great empty space opened up around the entrance as the occupants backed away from it. The rest of the room was packed with vampires, those who had been in the drawing room and others of the court who had heard what was happening. Ulrich slipped in behind us and stood beside the doorway.

“What has it told you?” he asked, eyeing the creature warily.

“It looks like our information was partially correct” said William. “The sorcerer is looking for vampires, me in particular. But she is not a necromancer, she does not have control over the dead, she uses the bodies of others to escape her own death.”

“So why does she want us?” he asked.

“Because our bodies are stronger and more resilient than those of mortals. And mine contains the power of a God!”

_“You must be careful William! She must not be allowed to get near you!”_

_“Do you think she could be a danger to you?”_

_“I'm not sure, but if she can bind Sabiri to her will then she must have considerable skill, they are powerful creatures. Don't be misled by the fact that this one appears weak, it has simply been drained by the iron. It would be safer not to find out don't you think?”_

“I see!” Ulrich looked very serious and glanced around, checking on his security detail. “What's happening now? What does it want?”

I smiled. “What we all want Ulrich, he wants to go home!”

We watched as the creature sniffed around for a moment until it appeared to find the right spot. He held out a hand to William and he walked over to him. “What do you want me to do?” he asked.

The creature placed a hand on William's shoulder and looked down into his eyes. “Share your power with me my Lord” he said. He closed his eyes and began to speak quietly. I concentrated, trying to make out what he was saying but it was in a tongue even I had never heard before. As he spoke I could feel William relaxing and a flood of cold power began to flow up into the Sabiru's hand. To my surprise it appeared to bypass me completely and I realised that this was nothing to do with me, this was faery power! His eyes flew open and he waved a hand before us. The air before us seemed to blur, then a patch of air in front of us had become opaque and shimmered like a silk curtain. In front of the assembled crowd of vampires the Sabiru knelt before William. “Thank you my Lord” he said. “I will not soon forget your kindness.” Then he rose smoothly, stepped into the shimmering patch of air and disappeared. 

I glanced around to see that William stood alone in the centre of the open space left in the middle of the ballroom. For a long moment no-one made any attempt to approach him.

 _“Well.....I don't think anyone will doubt your power now William dear!”_ I said with some considerable satisfaction.


	32. Chapter 32

I glanced around the large ballroom as William turned to Ulrich and tried to explain to him what had just happened. All of the Queen's court appeared to be standing around watching us warily, unwilling to leave in case something else happened.

Alex came over to us and she and William began to argue in low voices, he was clearly concerned about the intentions of the witch and wanted her out of the way and she adamantly refused to leave him.

“We should talk to Anne?” he said. “What do you mean 'we'? Don't you think you'd be safer back at the Hotel?”

“What did I just say!” she hissed, exasperated. “She's not looking for humans, she's after you! Well she'll have to get past me first!”

She glared up at him fiercely and I saw Ulrich smile to himself. But William didn't smile, he didn't laugh at her. Instead he pulled her closer and kissed her. “I know that” he said quietly. “That's what I'm afraid of.” He walked with her away from the others bending his head to talk to her softly. “If anything did happen you'd try and help me I know that. I don't want anyone to get hurt for my sake, least of all you!”

“Oh Bill” she whispered. “If I'm with you at least I'll have a chance. Don't you see, I may not be able to help you, but if I'm at the Hotel and I hear that something's happened to you.....well, I'll never know will I? I'd rather try and fail than not try at all and spend the rest of my life wondering if I could have done something.”

I could feel William's love for her at this declaration and he gave in. “Alright, let's go and find this Anne shall we. Didn't I demand that she be fetched earlier?” He raised his voice a little. “Was no-one listening?”

The Queen snapped an order to her secretary and came over to us. “If you would like to wait in the drawing room Your Excellency. Anne will be brought to you in a moment.”

We sat quietly waiting until the blond secretary came in with a girl. She was dressed in jeans and a check skirt but her long hair was tied up on her head in a somewhat old fashioned twist. She looked to be in her late teens but her expression belied her apparent youth. It was hard and cold. Something had clearly taught her that life was tough and she had learned this lesson well.

“This is her Majesty's advisor” he said. He turned to the girl. “Her Majesty wishes you to help these people in any way you can.”

“Certainly” she said giving us a little smile and sitting down in a armchair in front of us. “What do you need to know? I gather you want information on the witch Lucilla?”

“Good evening Anne” said William politely. “Perhaps you could tell us something about yourself and how you acquired your knowledge of witches?”

For the next hour or so I was engrossed in the girl's story. It appeared that her name was Anne Neville, a name which Alex evidently recognised. She told us the story of her life and how she had learned of Lucilla and tracked her from Renaissance Italy to France and finally to the New World. She was not, however, entirely sure if “Lucilla” was one woman or possibly simply a name assumed by the women of one family. If she was the same woman then Anne was convinced that she must be a powerful necromancer. Her theory was that Diana, curious about her after hearing Anne's stories, had sought out Lucilla and been bewitched into serving her.

However William's information, provided by the Sabiru that she had coerced into helping her, was different.

Anne sat up suddenly when William explained what the Sabiru had told him. “You spoke to that creature? How is that possible?” She turned to the Queen who said “Yes, he spoke to it and it understood him.”

She stared at him in astonishment. “It was Lilith who understood it, not me” he explained with a smile.

“But if she is not a necromancer then……is this not the same woman?” she asked, clearly puzzled.

“Oh I believe it is” said William. “Apparently she practices a form of magic which enables her to steal another’s body. The creature called her the corpsetaker. This is how she has survived so long. By moving from one body to another. Since she has continued to do this over centuries she has acquired considerable knowledge and also great power.”

At this point Alex proved her value yet again. “So what if the person who broke in here wasn’t Diana?” she asked.

The Queen gave her a pitying look. “My dear, she was seen and recognised. She is well known in my court!”

“But what if Diana wasn’t bewitched by Lucilla?” she persisted. “What if Diana IS Lucilla?”

Everyone stared at her for a moment, trying to absorb this new possibility.

“Did she speak to anyone?” asked William. 

“No” said the Queen. She turned back to Anne. “Is this possible?”

“If what this creature said is true, then yes. But what will have happened to Diana?” She and the Queen both turned back to William.

“I’m sorry” he said sadly. “From what the creature told me I’m afraid she is gone. I think Alex is right. This would be a sensible move for her if she really is looking for me, as a vampire and a member of your court she would expect to have had much greater access to information and might even possibly have been invited to meet me. Suppose that she had not been discovered that night? Would she not have been in this house now?”

“She would indeed” said the Queen.

“Do you have a photograph of her?” he asked.

The Queen stood up and went to the door just as it opened and Ulrich and Gerry came in. She slipped out and gave an order to the secretary who was standing just outside.

“Have you managed to get any more information?” asked Gerry.

William stood up and turned to them. “It would appear likely that the witch Lucilla is now inhabiting the body of Diana. However, she has not tried to return here, or not yet anyway.”

“Do we know what she looks like?” asked Ulrich practically.

“Her Majesty has sent for a photograph, we should get copies to all the security teams. In the meantime I can see no alternative but to carry on as normal. She is presumably unaware that we know who she is and if we change our plans it will only scare her off. That is, if we’re right of course!”

“Don’t we want to scare her off?” asked Gerry, surprised. “Sounds like a good idea to me!”

“But then she would only try again and we would be unaware of it” said William. “At least now we know what we’re up against.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who wishes to read Anne Neville's story will find it in Chapters 28 and 29 of "The Devil You Know".


	33. Chapter 33

We left shortly afterwards to return to the relative safety of the Hotel. Copies of a photograph showing Diana with the Queen were circulated to all our security personnel. 

Over the next few nights we attended various events organised by the Illinois Court but there was no sign of Diana. William and Alex were introduced to various influential members of the courts of both Illinois and Indiana, the territory that Queen Francesca de Luca technically ruled jointly with her husband. At first everyone was on high alert but gradually we began to think that, since Diana had been discovered at the mansion on that first night, she must realise that she would be stopped by the Queen’s security and might not be able to talk her way out of it.

On our final night in Chicago the Queen had arranged a special visit for William and his entourage together with numerous members of her court and the Authority.

 _“Explain it to me this concept of a 'Museum'”_ I asked.

William thought for a moment. _“It's a place where scientific specimens, works of art or other items of value are displayed. The word derives from Latin, a place sacred to the Muses, a place devoted to learning or the arts. We visited one in New York, you remember, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”_

_“That was the place on the far side of the Park?”_

_“That's right.....”_ he fell silent, reflecting.

_“It means something to you this museum?”_

_“It was in the Metropolitan Museum that I met Theodore Davies, the man who invited me to come to Egypt with him in 1903”_ he explained quietly.

It was my turn to fall silent. It had never occurred to me to wonder why he had come to Egypt over a century ago. I realised know that, had it not been for this chance meeting, he might never have visited Egypt at all.......I might never have seen him. I wondered what would have happened then. I would almost certainly have taken Berenice as my host. I shuddered to think how my plans would have turned out without him to hold me back, to temper my demands for the good of us all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fleet of cars dropped us on Lake Shore Drive, opposite Soldiers Field and we walked across and looked out over the dark expanse of Lake Michigan. 

William put an arm around Alex's shoulders. “Have you enjoyed the trip?” he asked.

“So far yes” she answered. “Though I admit, I’ll be happier when we’re safe at home.”

I could tell that William didn’t think they would be safe, not anywhere. But he changed the subject. “So what do you want to see in the museum?” 

She leaned her head on his chest and thought for a moment. “Well” she said “they have the biggest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton in the world!” William struggled not to laugh out loud. 

“How on earth do you know that?” He asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, I don’t know. I read it somewhere! She’s called Sue!” they both laughed.

“You never cease to amaze me! You seem to absorb information like a sponge!” he said, leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Well! Let’s go then, we don’t want to miss this!”

_“What is a Tyrannosaurus Rex?”_

_“It's a giant, extinct lizard......wait, you don't know? I thought it was only the modern world you needed information about?”_

_“This may come as a shock to you William but I don't actually know everything!”_

_“Not omniscient huh? I'll bear that in mind!”_

They strolled, hand in hand, up the broad flight of steps to the entrance. Information on our visit must have leaked out somehow as I noticed a small group of protesters with placards and “Fellowship of the Sun” baseball caps by the doors but there were a couple of men who I had learned to recognise as police officers keeping them back as well as our own security staff. The main hall of the museum was a long two storied room with balconies on three sides. There was a plinth on which stood two enormous stuffed African Elephants on the right hand side and further back another one holding Sue the T Rex.

William and Alex strolled over to Sue and gazed up at her. “Those are the genuine fossilized bones too.” She told him. “None of that plastic reproduction nonsense! Except for the head, that would have been too heavy.”

“That’s one nasty looking set of teeth!” said William.

She chuckled. “You’re a fine one to talk!” 

He laughed and slipped an arm around her waist. “Let’s go and take a look around shall we?” 


	34. Chapter 34

We wandered around some of the side galleries for a while until William looked up suddenly from a case full of American Indian artefacts and asked “Did you hear that?”

“What?” she asked, instantly alert. “You heard something?”

_“Something is happening in the main hall William!”_

We had wandered away from the others and were alone in the gallery. William gestured to Alex to stay where she was and as he did so there was a loud crash from the direction I had indicated. 

“Okay! I heard that!” she whispered.

“Stay back” he said and began edging silently to the door. He peered carefully round the doorpost and then gestured to her to join him. “It’s coming from the main Hall” he whispered. 

_“I just told you that!”_

_“Shhh!”_

“Stay behind me!” He slipped across the room and peeped out into the Hall. “It’s those damned protesters!” he muttered. “They’ve started a fight!”

“We should just wait here.” she whispered urgently to him. “Harry and his men will sort them out.”

“They’re outnumbered” he whispered back. “It’ll take them a while to regroup. You wait here, I’ll just go and get Dan and Azaria out of the way.”

“Bill! You should stay here!” she hissed.

Bill looked down at her impatiently. “Come on Alex! I can deal with a few humans! I won’t be a moment.” He slipped silently around the door and headed for the main hall.

_“She's right you know. We don't know what's happening!”_

_“And we never will if we don't go and find out!"_

William crept silently though the galleries towards the main hall. We could now hear the sounds of fighting coming from this direction.

_“Do you really think this is a good idea? What do we have security for?”_

_“I have to find Azaria! She's been snatched by these fanatics once before, she'll be terrified!”_

_“She seems a capable young woman, I'm sure she can take care of herself.”_

_“That depends on what weapons they have......”_

He stopped and looked out into the main hall onto a scene of absolute chaos. Protesters, security men and police were fighting everywhere but William's attention locked onto a couple struggling on the floor by the entrance. They were both women and the one underneath was Azaria. Bill gave a vicious snarl and launched himself out of the side gallery towards them. I had just a moment to wonder why Azaria did not simply shrug off her assailant before I realised that she was not human but vampire.

_“William! It's her! It's Diana!”_

I felt him pause for a fraction of a second and then he flung himself on her. His love for Azaria was stronger than his fear of the corpsetaker. I heard Alex call to him as well but he ignored us both and, as the woman released Azaria he snatched up a broken piece of wood from a smashed display case and raised it as an improvised stake. Before he could strike, she raised her hand and placed it on his chest as I stared down into her eyes. They were old eyes, far older than the body she wore, the one she had stolen from Diana. I had just a second to wonder how I looked, staring out of William's eyes when I felt William's heart give a jolt. He reared back in shock and suddenly she was there beside me. I could sense her shock at finding that she was not alone but she recovered quickly and pushed forward, trying to take over William's mind. She was skilled, evidently she had done this many times before but still she was only human and I was far stronger. I grasped her consciousness and threw her back, following her into the body of the vampire, Diana. I felt for her again meaning only to hold her off and discovered that my strike had been more powerful than I had thought and the witch Lucilla was dead. Her body was mine.

At that moment I hesitated, did I really want to do this? Did I want to leave him? It would surely be the best solution for both of us. He would be free of me and I would have control of a body of my own. We would both be free. I knew that he wanted this although his dreams that this separation might be possible had ceased some time ago, and yet I still hesitated. I needed him. I hated to admit this even to myself but it was true. But even as this thought came to me I knew that he would not abandon me. 

And so I left him. 

At first he was dazed and weak with barely the strength to protect me from those who assumed that one, or other of us was the witch Lucilla. But he was able to convince them, with Alex's help, that she was gone for good and we were both helped away by members of the Authority.

I went to his room later that night but Alex would not let me see him.

There, that one single sentence should tell you all you need to know.

There was a time when I would simply have crushed her like an insect and with no more thought. Brushed away anything and anyone who stood in my way......but no more. This is what he has taught me. I know that he loves her and I also know that if I harmed her, he would never forgive me, never approve of me, and I find that I crave his approval.

I hate myself for this weakness but at the same time I know that he is right and that I still need his help. He once told Alex that I had great power, but no compassion. She replied that he had compassion enough for both of us and she was right, together we made one whole ruler for our people, one with my strength and his tolerance.

The next night one of Ulrich's men came to request my presence in a conference room where we would discuss our next move. I walked in and saw William standing at the conference table with his back to me. He turned to me and something happened that I had longed for ever since Berenice first brought him to my shrine all those years ago.

He smiled at me......

***THE END***


End file.
